Frequently Asked Questions
About What We Treat
Do you diagnose tongue ties?
As a speech-language pathologist and certified orofacial myologist, Jill is uniquely equipped to assess tongue mobility via functional assessments which take approximately 60-90 minutes. Functional tongue assessments are the gold standard in assessing for tongue tie/ankyloglossia. Tongue ties should be assessed based on movement patterns during functional activities (eating, drinking, and speaking), not static resting tongue positions.
What is an orofacial myofunctional disorder?
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD) include the abnormal rest postures and functioning of the oral and facial muscles and soft tissue complex. OMD's can often result in an atypical swallow pattern that is often referred to as a "tongue thrust” and can have an adverse effect on the position of the dentition, craniofacial development, the orofacial soft tissue complex and coordinated patterns of all the associated musculature. It is estimated this disorder is prevalent in 30% of the population.
The resting posture of the tongue, jaw, and lips are extremely important in the normal developmental growth patterns. Atypical patterns may result in improper resting position of the tongue resulting in "open bite" or other malocclusion and open mouth rest posture.
With OMDs, the tongue moves forward in an exaggerated way at rest, during speech, and while swallowing. A tongue thrust is the most common orofacial myofunctional variation. The incorrect rest posture of the tongue contributes to improper orofacial development and malalignment of the teeth. The tongue may lie too far forward during rest or may protrude between the upper and lower teeth during speech and swallowing. Orofacial myology disorders may have a negative effect on the development of the dentition, particularly dental eruption patterns and/or alignment of the teeth and jaw. Speech patterns may become imprecise or misarticulated. Oral habit patterns (thumb sucking, finger sucking, prolonged pacifier, bottle, or sippy cup use) may have a negative influence on the structure of the hard palate and the normal functioning of the temporomandibular joint. Correcting the resting tongue or lip relationships can be instrumental in aiding the development of normal patterns of dental eruption and alignment. Research has found an 81% prevalence of orofacial myofunctional disorders in children exhibiting speech/articulation problems (Kelly, 1992, Maul, et. al, 1999).
What causes OMDs?
Contributing factors are often related to upper airway obstruction related to enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids, allergies, and sinus obstruction. Other contributors are related to non-nutritive sucking habits that include: thumb and digit sucking; extending use of pacifiers and sippy cups; bruxing and clenching of the dentition and facial muscles; and nail biting. Untreated OMD's can lead to the development of TMD (temporal mandibular disorder) and pain associated with it in adults.
Tongue-tie is often another causative factor in the development of OMD's. Many specialists agree that a restricted lingual frenum can result in dental, speech, and skeletal changes (jaw and palate formation).
what is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for speech. The child knows what he or she wants to say, but his/her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words
what are PHONOLOGICAL DISORDERS/ARTICULATION/speech sound disorders?
Most children make some mistakes as they learn to say new words. A speech sound disorder occurs when mistakes continue past a certain age. Every sound has a different range of ages when the child should make the sound correctly. Speech sound disorders include problems with articulation (making sounds) and phonological processes (sound patterns).