Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
On this page:
- About Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
- Signs and Symptoms of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
- Causes of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
- Seeing a Professional
- Other Resources
About Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
People who have an OMD might have problems with breathing through their nose, producing some speech sounds correctly, and eating. One type of common OMD in children is called tongue thrusting or fronting. Tongue thrusting is when the child pushes their tongue forward when they talk, drink, or eat.
Signs and Symptoms of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
Just because a person has some or all of these symptoms does not mean that they have an OMD. Always see a professional for more information. To find an SLP, use ASHA’s ProFind.
Some signs of an OMD may include the following:
- Always breathing through their mouth or having trouble breathing through their nose.
- Difficulty moving their tongue
- Problems with chewing or keeping food in their mouth more than usual. You might notice that babies, toddlers, and young children will be a little messy while eating. This is normal, and children are expected to do this less as they get older.
- An overbite, underbite, and/or other dental problems.
- The tongue pushing past the teeth, even when a person is not talking or using the tongue.
- Difficulty saying some sounds, like "s" in "sun," "sh" in "ship," or "j" in "jump."
- Excessive drooling that soaks through clothes several times a day or continues beyond age 4 years.
- Difficulty closing the lips to swallow.
Causes of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
OMDs may be caused by several factors:
- Blocked nasal passages because of tonsil size or allergies. When the nasal passages are blocked, people may need to breathe through their mouth instead.
- Anything that (a) causes the tongue to be misplaced when at rest or (b) makes it difficult to keep the lips together when at rest.
- Thumb sucking or use of a pacifier past the age of 3 years.
Seeing a Professional
Testing for an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD)
You may see a few professionals to find out if your child has an OMD. These professionals may include
- a dentist
- an orthodontist
- a doctor
Your dentist and orthodontist will look at your child’s teeth and how their jaw moves. The doctor might test your child for allergies and check your child’s tonsils and adenoids. The SLP tests your child’s speech and looks at how they eat, drink, and breathe.
Speech-Language Pathology Treatment for Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
After breathing problems are medically evaluated and treated, SLPs can help your child do the following:
- Pay closer attention to their mouth and facial movements.
- Know where their tongue and mouth muscles are when they speak, drink, and eat.
- Say sounds more clearly.
- Change how they chew and swallow.
- Practice different breathing patterns
To find an SLP in your area, use ASHA’s ProFind.
