Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder SELF - CHECK: CHILD
HOW CAN I KNOW IF MY CHILD COULD BENEFIT FROM OROFACIAL MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY?
Read through the following questions regarding a few signs and symptoms that can be associated with an orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD) in children.
If any of these issues concern you, you may want to make an appointment for a consult.
Does your child breathe through their mouth during the day and/or while asleep?
Do you see your child’s tongue stick out between the front teeth at rest? Are their lips apart and jaw hinged open while watching T.V. or reading a book?
Does your child’s tongue seem restricted or ‘tied’ to the floor of the mouth?
Is your child a messy eater?
Is your child or teen suffering from nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting)?
Does your child exhibit signs of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning difficulties, and/or struggle with emotional regulation?
Is your child often sleepy or do they nap during the daytime?
Does your child snore at night? Do they sound congested?
Does your child have frequent headaches or suffer from migraines?
Does your child have frequent jaw or neck pain?
Does your child suffer from allergies or asthma?
Does your child have difficulty pronouncing specific sounds despite previous speech therapy? For example:
Do they produce the /s/ sound with a frontal lisp as in “thun” for “sun”?
Do they distort the SH (“ship”), CH (“chew”), or J (“jump”) sounds?
Do they have “slushy” sounding speech?
Do they have difficulty with the correct production of /l/ or /r/ sounds as in “wion” for “lion” or “wabbit” for “rabbit”?
Do they have difficulty with the correct production of /k/ or /g/ sounds as in “tan” for “can” or “do” for “go”?
You can learn more about these signs and symptoms, along with additional information and research on orofacial myofunctional disorder in the RESEARCH and SIGNS & SYMPTOMS sections.