Why Choose Link to Communication?

Our staff is highly trained to identify and correct the underlying problem.  

 

Have you or your child spent years in speech therapy? Have you or your child experienced orthodontic relapse or shifting of the teeth? Do you or your child clench or grind or chew on their nails? All of these problems can be corrected. 

 

Myofunctional disorders are present in 38% of the general population.  According to the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM), 81% of children exhibiting speech disorders or articulation problems have a myofunctional disorder.  

 

Correcting the underlying problem with simple therapy techniques could save time, money, and frustration.

 

All our speech-language pathologists are certified with the American Speech Hearing Association (ASHA).  Each of our speech-language pathologists has had additional training from the accredited International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM) and is certified or working toward certification.  Having the additional knowledge allows for proper diagnosis and treatment of speech disorders and swallowing disorders, leading to less time in therapy.  

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The muscles of the face and mouth play an important role in day-to-day, life-sustaining tasks, such as eating, drinking, and breathing. They are unique and incredibly important. These muscles allow us to speak, sing, smile, and express emotion. They also play a vital role in our growth and development, as well as in our dental and airway health. Did you know that the function of these muscles can determine whether or not we have straight, healthy teeth and large, healthy sinuses? It’s true!

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When the muscles develop abnormal patterns over time, the incorrect muscle adaptations can cause a variety of problems. This is when myofunctional therapy can help correct the improper muscle use. 

 

What is Myofunctional Therapy?
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD), sometimes called an "oral myofunctional disorder" and "tongue thrust", are atypical adaptive patterns that emerge in the absence of normalized patterns within the orofacial complex. The regular presence of these adaptive movements can often result in a variety of problems.

Therapy is individualized to help the client retrain the adaptive patterns of muscle function and to create and maintain a healthy orofacial environment.   Treatment goals may include the following:

 

+  Normalize tongue and lip resting postures

+  Establish nasal breathing patterns

+  Eliminate improper chewing and swallowing patterns

+  Stabilize the dentition from extraneous orofacial muscle movement

+  Address harmful oral habits including: 

     - Prolonged pacifier use

     - Thumb and/or finger sucking

     - Fingernail, cheek or lip biting

     - Tongue sucking

     - Clenching or grinding of the teeth

 

“After years of practicing and attending countless continuing education courses in speech-language pathology, I made the decision to expand my knowledge and obtained additional training and certification in orofacial myofunctional disorders. The initial training changed the way I look at speech disorders and feeding disorders.  Collaboration is key to the success in therapy. I love working with the dental and medical community for the betterment of the clients and families who come to us for speech therapy, tongue thrust therapy, habit elimination (thumb/finger sucking) and feeding therapy.” Kelly Villafane, CCC-SLP-COM®.  

 

At Link to Communication, we treat clients of all ages who are working on a range of problems, such as correcting a simple R sound to sleep breathing disorders.  Feeding and communication are key to everyday function.  The importance they play on our lives is vital.