Let's treat the root cause and set up our kids for success!

Working on correct sound production without addressing an underlying OMD (orofacial myofunctional disorder) is like teaching someone to run a marathon in slippers!!🏃‍♂️😮Lets treat the root cause and set up our kids for success!

So many times I've heard therapists say, "The child can produce the sound correctly at the word level but when they try saying it in longer phrases or repeating it multiple times it just all falls apart!."

Speaking is a sequence of rapid precise movements. We produce around 14 sounds per second!! If a child has an OMD such as low tongue posture due to mouth breathing, the tongue is low and forward instead of high and back and they are already at a disadvantage in the race.

Here are some ways an OMD can play a role in speech sound disorders:

🏃‍♀️When the tongue's resting position is low and forward it's almost like the tongue needs to get back on the race track (stabilized on the roof of the mouth) in between producing each sound. That is exhausting and requires a lot more effort to speak with correct placement.

🏃‍♂️When a child does not swall