More than words: celebrating the full scope of speech therapy
This month, I want to pull back the curtain on what speech therapy actually looks like in a pediatric setting — and introduce you to one specialty area that I'm especially passionate about: myofunctional therapy.
What speech-language pathologists actually do
As a pediatric SLP, my caseload on any given day might include a toddler who isn't yet using words, a school-aged child with dyslexia, a child with autism learning to use an AAC device, or a teenager working through a stutter. We address:
Speech sounds — articulation, phonological patterns, motor speech disorders
Language — understanding and using words, sentences, grammar, and literacy
Fluency — stuttering and cluttering
Social communication — reading cues, conversation, pragmatics
Voice — vocal quality, resonance, and vocal hygiene
Feeding and swallowing — for children who struggle to eat safely or comfortably
Orofacial myofunctional disorders — the area we're spotlighting today
What is myofunctional therapy?
Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) focuses on the muscles of the face, mouth, and throat — and the patterns they fall into. When these muscles aren't functioning the way they should, it can quietly affect everything from how a child breathes and swallows to how their teeth align and how clearly they speak. OMT works to retrain those patterns through targeted exercises and habit correction, often in collaboration with orthodontists, dentists, and ENTs.
Myofunctional therapy isn't just for one type of patient
Mouth breathers: Children who breathe through their mouth, especially during sleep
Tongue thrusters: Those who push their tongue forward during swallowing
Thumb/finger suckers: Children with prolonged oral habits affecting jaw and bite development
Post-frenectomy: Children who've had tongue or lip ties revised and need retraining
Orthodontic patients: Kids in braces who need muscle support for lasting results
Snorers & poor sleepers: Children showing signs of sleep-disordered breathing
The downstream effects are bigger than most people realize
This is the part that surprises a lot of families. Orofacial muscle function isn't an isolated issue — it connects to an entire chain of health and development outcomes. Untreated myofunctional disorders can contribute to:
Crowded or misaligned teeth and jaw development issues that make orthodontic treatment less stable long-term
Chronic mouth breathing, which changes airway dynamics and can dry out oral tissues, increasing cavity risk
Poor sleep quality and even pediatric sleep apnea — with ripple effects on behavior, attention, and learning
Speech sound errors, particularly lisps, that don't fully resolve until the underlying tongue pattern is addressed
Picky eating and sensory feeding challenges tied to low oral muscle tone
"The tongue is the most powerful muscle in the mouth — and when it rests, swallows, or breathes incorrectly thousands of times a day, it shapes development. Myofunctional therapy gives us a chance to redirect that force."
Perspective from a Pediatric SLP
What I love most about myofunctional therapy is how collaborative it is. We're often working alongside an orthodontist who notices an open bite that braces alone won't fix, or a pediatric dentist who keeps seeing the same child with a persistent tongue thrust, or an ENT who has already addressed enlarged adenoids but knows the breathing pattern needs retraining. OMT sits at this beautiful intersection of disciplines.
This May, if you take away one thing from Speech Therapy Awareness Month, let it be this: speech therapy is so much more than speech. It's about how children communicate, connect, eat, breathe, and grow. And for many kids, that journey begins with something as simple — and as powerful — as learning how to hold their tongue.
If you have questions about whether your child might benefit from a myofunctional evaluation, reach out. We love connecting families with the right support — whatever that looks like for them.
