Orofacial Myology

What is Orofacial Myology & why does it matter for our kids?

At Early Start Speech Pathology, five of our speech pathologists have completed extensive additional training to become Certified Orofacial Myologists through the Australian Orofacial Myology Collaboration.

But what does that actually mean for your child?

It means we look beyond just speech sounds — and at the muscles of the mouth, face and jaw that affect how your child:

🗣️ talks
👃 breathes
🍽️ eats
🥤 swallows
😴 sleeps
🧠 concentrates and learns

Because when these muscles aren’t working as they should, it can impact so much more than speech.

What is Oro facial Dysfunction?

Orofacial dysfunction happens when the lips, tongue or jaw aren’t in the right position or functioning adequately during:

• Rest
• Swallowing
• Breathing and
• Talking

This can affect facial growth, dental development, airway health and overall function.

The good news? We can help and support.

It’s a team approach

Orofacial Myology isn’t a “one professional only” area. We often work alongside:

• Dentists & Orthodontists
• ENT specialists
• Chiropractors and Osteopaths
• Lactation consultants and GPs
• Other speech pathologists

Your child’s speech pathologist helps coordinate care so everyone is working toward the same goal.

What we look for in an assessment

Your speech pathologist will check for things like:

• Poor tongue posture or limited tongue movement (including tongue tie)
• Tongue thrust swallowing patterns
• Speech sound difficulties
• Mouth breathing
• Poor lip seal or open-mouth posture
• Oral habits (thumb sucking, dummy use)
• Nasal or airway obstruction
• Dental or bite concerns

These are simply signs that your child’s oral muscles may need some extra support — and that’s exactly what we’re here for 💛