Orofacial Myology Case Study

Most people think that speech therapy deals only with irregularities in speech patterns and language dysfunctions which occur normally. However, this is not true and speech therapy is applied for many health conditions where the patient loses his/her previous abilities for effective communication. Orofacial Myology is one such condition Brampton speech therapy clinics encounter where the modifications surfacing would lead to speech disorders.
The formation of Orofacial Myology and its effects on speech
Orofacial Myology, frequently referred to as tongue thrust is normal for children and disappears gradually. However, there are abnormal ways of getting this condition such as:
• Allergies caused by abnormal functioning of the facial muscles or mouth, resulting in mild suffocation and blockage of nasal airway. Consequently, air is inhaled and exhaled through the mouth for which there should be an open position of the mouth for a long time. This results in weakening of lips causing Orofacial Myology disorders (OMD) and eventually language dysfunctions.
• Similarly, enlarged tonsils and adenoids also result in the same. Habits like finger or thumb sucking, nail and lip biting can result in OMD. Sometimes family heredity also determines the way sounds are produced from the tongue.
By the ways mentioned above, the tongue gets twisted or moves forward
awkwardly during speech resulting in swallowing of words or utterance of unintelligible sounds. The major effect would be on pronunciation as sounds like /z/ /s/ etc. become difficult to pronounce. Nevertheless, it is not a thing to worry about as there are many efficient Orofacial Myology speech therapy services in Brampton are having expert therapists for taking care of this problem.
Services provided by Brampton speech therapy clinics
More often OMD cases are not too serious and speech pathologist would diagnose the individual by following standard procedures. If the case is critical diagnosis is done by team of professionals including an orthodontist, a dentist, a physician and a speech pathologist. Brampton speech therapy services provide following treatments for OMD patients:
• Swallowing disorders
• Speech and sound errors
• Open mouth posture
The treatment procedures vary from one individual to another because of the difference in intensity required.
However, Brampton speech therapy clinics motivate the patient and mildly act on the condition in step wise manner, ultimately reaching the goal without creating any negative feelings on the mind of the patient. Fascinatingly, speech therapy increases the awareness of a patient about the facial muscles, tongue postures, swallowing patterns, etc. which would make the individual understand language better than before. In addition, there is observed improvement in speech sound productions, strength and
coordination.
The airways are cleared through simple and entertaining exercises provided by the therapists and unacceptable oral habits are also eliminated by constant conditioning and creation of awareness. Eventually, the condition of OMD disappears and by few session of speech therapy, any individual is able to regain the lost potency in language. It is interesting to note that, after speech therapy sessions undertaken at clinics, individuals are able to perform better because of new knowledge gained on the functioning of the facial muscles and also learning techniques to speak in all kinds of environment.