Speech & Myofunctional Therapy

Effective, evidence-based approaches to treating speech, swallowing, breathing, & sleeping problems.

Speech therapy teaches you how to use your tongue and lips correctly to make speech sounds.

Myofunctional Therapy teaches you to change incorrect breathing patterns and oral habits and strengthens the muscles of the tongue and lips. This leads to improvements in the way you speak, breathe, swallow, and sleep.

Combining speech and myofunctional therapy gets to the root cause of the problems and leads to greater success in therapy.

What is a speech disorder?

When children are learning to talk, they frequently make errors, but most children can say the majority of speech sounds correctly by age 4. 

A child who is taking longer to learn speech sounds may have a speech sound disorder.  Signs of a speech disorder include:

  • substituting one sound for another

  • omitting sounds, often at the ends of words (“ca-” for “cat”)

  • distorting sounds

  • speech that is hard to understand

Common speech disorders include articulation disorders, phonological delays and disorders, and childhood apraxia of speech. In some cases, the root cause of the speech problem is actually a myofunctional disorder.

What is a myofunctional disorder?

An orofacial myofunctional disorder is caused by abnormal movement patterns of your face and your mouth.  This can result in:

  • speech issues

  • incorrect chewing and swallowing patterns

  • sleep issues (apnea, teeth grinding, etc.)

  • hard and soft tissue differences

  • noxious oral habits (thumb sucking or nail biting)

  • incorrect breathing patterns (open mouth breathing)

When speech sound errors persist beyond the age of 5 or 6 years, there is a high likelihood that there is an underlying orofacial myofunctional disorder.  It is possible, however, to have an orofacial myofunctional disorder without having any speech errors.

orofacial myofunctional disorders in children

Signs & Symptoms of an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD)

There are many signs and symptoms of an OMD. You may experience difficulties in any or all of the following areas:

  • • Slow development of speech
    • Lisping or tongue protrusion on S sounds
    • Distortion of SH, CH, or J sounds • Substitution of W for L or R sounds • Difficulty saying K or G sounds • Slushy-sounding speech
    • Limited progress in traditional speech therapy

  • • Difficulty latching to nurse as a baby
    • Reflux
    • Colic
    • Excessive drooling
    • Slow eater
    • Messy eater
    • Tongue visible during chewing and swallowing
    • Avoiding or having difficulty with certain textures
    • Choking or gagging while eating or nursing
    • Strong gag reflex

  • • Snoring, sleep apnea
    • Restless sleep, unrefreshed after sleeping
    • Sleeping with mouth open
    • Light sleeper, wakes easily
    • Bed-wetting
    • Gasps for air while sleeping
    • Night sweats
    • Teeth grinding

  • • Mouth breathing during the day
    • Thumb sucking, nail biting, chewing on objects like pencils
    • Overbite or underbite
    • Hyperactivity or inattention
    • Neck and/or shoulder pain
    • TMJ
    • Headaches or migraines
    • Orthodontic relapse
    • Allergies and asthma

myofunctional therapy evaluation

What causes an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD)

An Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder is frequently the result of a combination of factors such as those listed below:

  • Improper oral habits such as thumb or finger sucking, nail biting, teeth clenching/grinding

    Extended use of a pacifier and/or long-term use of sippy cups

  • • May include a short lingual frenum (tongue-tie)
    • A restricted nasal airway due to enlarged tonsils/adenoids, deviated septum, and/or allergies
    • Lack of nasal breathing is the most commonly noted cause

    • Neurological deficits and developmental delays

    • Hereditary predisposition

Signs & Symptoms of an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD)

Why Evaluations are Essential

All treatment begins with an evaluation so we can get to the root cause of the speech, breathing, sleeping, eating, or other issues you or your child are experiencing.

  • During the evaluation, we will:

    • Look at airway structures and how you/your child is breathing

    • Examine (and often photograph) the facial structure, teeth, oral cavity, palate, jaw, tongue, and lips

    • Take a speech sample and perform standardized speech testing when appropriate

    • Examine swallowing patterns (with food and liquids as needed)

    • Conduct a patient/parent interview regarding sleep, behaviors, and related concerns

  • After the evaluation, you will be presented with a diagnosis and a plan for speech and/or myofunctional therapy. Goals for therapy are developed in collaboration with the family and any other important professionals on the team.

  • We may also include referrals to other specialists such as dentists, orthodontists, ENTs, physiotherapists, etc.

  • The frequency of sessions will depend on the age and motivation level of each client.

    Younger children may need to be seen weekly, whereas older children and adults may be able to do a lot of work on their own, with therapy sessions scheduled less frequently.

how myofunctional therapy helps kids and adults

How Myofunctional Therapy Can Help

Using evidence-based myofunctional therapy approaches (read the research here), the underlying causes of the presenting issues are addressed, leading to faster progress and lasting results.

  • Myofunctional therapy improves the mobility and strength of the tongue and lips, as well as correcting the habitual resting posture of the tongue. This typically leads to greater success in correcting speech errors.

    New patterns of breathing, chewing, and swallowing will be developed, allowing for improved eating, sleeping, and general health.

    Noxious oral habits such as thumb sucking and nail biting can be eliminated, allowing for improved self-esteem, as well as improvements in future oral/dental health.

  • A myofunctional therapy session begins with movement exercises specific to the client’s needs, related to speech errors, breathing difficulties, or chewing and swallowing difficulties.

    For younger children, the exercises are practiced through games and play.

    Older children, teens, and adults work through focused drills and repetition to gain skills as efficiently as possible.

    Each session will also incorporate education about why we are doing each exercise along with home programing and guidance on how to practice between sessions.

  • There is always homework assigned, and clients will progress more quickly if homework routines are established and reinforced early on.

    Developing new skills and replacing old habits takes time and practice over and above the time spent in therapy sessions.

  • Myofunctional treatment is best initiated around age 4. This is when children are mature enough to follow instructions and perform the exercises required.

    Teens and adults of all ages also benefit from therapy - it’s never too late to get help and see progress!

Meet Sharon

Sharon Goodman, B.Sc., B.Ed., MSLP

Sharon Goodman, B.Sc., B.Ed., MSLP

Founder, Speech-Language Pathologist

Sharon Goodman is a speech and myofunctional therapist with nearly 40 years of clinical experience - much of which she has spent working from a myofunctional perspective. Throughout her career, she has developed a passion for identifying and treating the root cause of speech, feeding, sleep, and health challenges and finding the path to greater success for her clients.

In addition to treating clients, Sharon offers professional mentorship and is also committed to educating her community about myofunctIonal disorders.

Testimonials

  • "We had been going to speech therapy for years, but when we started seeing Sharon we saw such quick changes. Sharon uses fun techniques and my daughter was always excited to see her."

    ~ Rebecca Miller

  • Our son’s struggles due to his tongue tie were taken seriously by Sharon, who has a deep understanding of the long term negative effects of an untreated tongue tie. She helped us to navigate our surgical options and supported us through the entire process. Sharon has a natural ability to work with young children and she operates with a high level of integrity, allowing us to put our trust in her completely.

    ~Helen Gosniak

  • "Sharon is very knowledgeable, level-headed, patient and encouraging! Having been down this path with her own family and many clients over the years, she has a wealth of experience!"

    ~ Nicky Addison, SLP/OMT

  • "Sharon's expertise as both a speech therapist and myofunctional therapist separates her from the rest of her field. We are grateful for her care and would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone seeking services for their child."

    ~Jordan Tessarolo

  • "We are very lucky to have had Sharon as an SLP for our son! Within minutes of sitting down for his first assessment, Sharon was able to pinpoint the exact cause of his speech issues."

    ~ Nicole Semeniuk

  • "Sharon supported us through the entire process of our son’s tongue tie release and he has made incredible progress in his speech. It’s amazing to see his face light up when he correctly makes a sound that he once struggled with!"

    ~ Kylie Stanton

  • "Sharon is a fantastic therapist: she is committed, kind, creative and entirely professional. She had a wonderful rapport with my boys, and they saw a significant improvement after working with her."

    ~ Julie Brennan

  • "I had the pleasure of working with Sharon for my myofunctional therapy and I can’t recommend her enough. Her exceptional knowledge and expertise in the field was evident from our very first session, and her willingness to go above and beyond to help me achieve my goals was truly remarkable."

    ~ Claire de Rosenroll

  • "As a fellow speech language pathologist and mother of a child with a myofunctional disorder, I appreciate Sharon’s wealth of knowledge and passion for myofunctional therapy. She is an excellent resource, and I frequently recommend her services to families seeking support for children with structurally based speech challenges."

    ~ Melissa Armstrong, MSc. RSLP

  • “My son has only been seeing Sharon Goodman for a month and we have already seen an improvement. She is excellent and Max really likes working with her. I highly recommend her!“

    ~Athena Sdrakas

  • "Sharon Goodman is a highly specialized and knowledgeable Myofunctional therapist. She provided an excellent speech therapy program for my 12-year-old daughter who felt successful and confident."

    ~ Laurinda Roberts

  • "Sharon is a wealth of information in Oral Myofunctional Disorders. She is always willing to share her knowledge and mentor other clinicians who are less experienced in the field. I would not hesitate to recommend Sharon for a client who needs support in this area. "

    ~Shari Linde, M.Sc. RSLP

Are you looking for support for your tongue-tied infant?

Babies with tongue ties may experience difficulty latching during breastfeeding, increased reflux or spit-up, choking while feeding, making clicking noises while feeding, and/or having increased feeding times. If your baby has a tongue tie, or you suspect they have one, we recommend contacting your primary care provider and asking for a referral to an airway-centric ENT or Dental Professional. Tongue ties can be successfully treated with a minor surgical procedure called a frenotomy or frenectomy. It is best to seek out a release provider who has current knowledge and is experienced in this area. Additional support from an IBCLC both before and after surgery is also recommended.