5 Signs Your Child May Benefit From Myofunctional Therapy

Written By MK Thomsen

Orofacial myofunctional therapy is a specialized type of therapy that addresses the strength and coordination of the muscles in the face and mouth.

The primary concern of myofunctional therapy is helping a child demonstrate proper tongue positioning while at rest. When the tongue is chronically placed on the floor of the mouth, the muscles in the face and mouth become weakened over time. This can lead to other issues including articulation problems, challenges with eating, picky eating, low quality sleep, and can even alter the structure of the face.

Myofunctional therapy addresses the root cause of these problems and then helps children re-learn proper eating, speaking, and sleeping habits.

So what are some signs your child may benefit from myofunctional therapy?

1. Your child has been diagnosed with a tongue tie, lip tie, or cheek tie

If your child has been diagnosed with a tongue tie, lip tie, or cheek tie, they may benefit from orofacial myofunctional therapy. When the tongue is tethered to the floor of the mouth, it is unable to rest in the proper position. Even after a tongue tie is released, many children continue to hold their tongue on the floor of the mouth at rest.

2. Your child demonstrates oral habits

Oral habits are any habit that involves placing a non-food item in the mouth. This can include:

  • Using a pacifier past the age of 18 months

  • Thumb sucking

  • Finger sucking

  • Toe/foot sucking

  • Nail biting

  • Biting on clothing

  • Chewing the back of a pen or other object

Any time an item is placed inside the mouth, the tongue is forced onto the floor. If your child is constantly placing non-food items into their mouth, their tongue can begin habitually resting on the floor of the mouth.

3. Your child demonstrates chronic mouth breathing

If your child is always breathing out of their mouth, there may be an obstruction preventing them from breathing through their nose properly. Obviously, this is normal if your child has a cold, but it’s concerning when they are mouth breathing all the time.

Any time a child is mouth breathing, their tongue is forced onto the floor of their mouth. Over time, chronic mouth breathing causes the muscles of the face to become weak. It can also change the physical appearance of the face.

Myofunctional therapy is able to address all of these issues. When the facial structure has been physically altered due to mouth breathing, myofunctional therapy can help re-shape these features and adjust the child’s physical facial appearance.

4. Your child snores

This is similar to mouth breathing above. If your child snores at night, they are typically mouth breathing during sleep and their tongue is placed on the floor of the mouth.

Snoring indicates poor sleep quality and your child may wake up feeling groggy, show hyperactive behaviors during the day, struggle to maintain attention, or appear grumpy frequently. Because this is a form of mouth breathing, the muscles of the face will begin to weaken over time and their facial structure can become altered.

5. Your child has articulation or feeding difficulties

Up to 80% of children with articulation and feeding difficulties also demonstrate a myofunctional disorder. This is because the muscles of the face and mouth are weak, causing incoordination during speech and eating. A speech therapist who is specially trained in myofunctional therapy is able to address all of these problems simultaneously during therapy.

If you think your child may benefit from myofunctional therapy, a speech therapist who specializes in myofunctional therapy will be able to evaluate your child and determine the best course of action. At Turning Tides Speech Therapy, we serve patients with myofunctional disorders throughout the Pensacola and Pace area. If you would like to request an evaluation, please click below to contact us.

MK Thomsen