Member Contributions

By Sandra R. Holtzman, MS, CCC-SLP, COM

On July 26, 2009, Sandra R. Holtzman attended the first Global Tongue-Tie Summit, which was held at the J.W. Marriott Orlando Conference Center.

By Ellen B. Role. M.A. and Robert M. Mason,D.M.D., Ph.D.

Clinicians aspiring to a career in the area of orofacial myology (OFM) have a desire and need to assimilate dental terminology and concepts pertinent to the discipline. Many dental/orthodontic concepts and terms are not easily located in the dental literature. Our purpose here is to provide useful selected dental information for orofacial myologists that can aid in communicating evaluation findings to dental personnel. The selected topics will be presented in a question and answer format.

 Member contribution: Robert M. Mason, DMD, Ph.D.

Following some recent inquiries, Dr. Bob Mason, our unofficial "medical expert" tackles a common but serious problem in therapy. Lips taping.

Member Contribution: Pat Taylor, M.ED.,SLP, COM

QUESTION:

Can you give me information about treating a client for articulation disorders concurrently as she receives oral myofunctional therapy?

Shari Green's thumbsucking article was published in "The National"

That Little Thumb Can Do an Awful Amount of Damage!

A Parents Guide to Childhood Thumbsucking Issues and Tongue Thrust Behavior

The mere thought of their child's thumbsucking behavior brings frustration and anxiety to many parents. Most parents know that thumbsucking is a common occurrence during childhood, but at what point should acceptance become concern? What are the complications that arise if this non-nutritive sucking behavior continues into the later childhood years? What methods can be utilized to help children stop in a loving, positive, and supportive way? What if parents can't do it alone? Who can parents and children turn to for help when the going gets rough? This article aims to address these very topics.

By: Dianne Fonssagrives, MS, CCC-SLP, COM

TOPIC:

An Answer To A Parent's Question

QUESTION:

"Why Can't My Child's Tongue Thrust be Treated at School?"

REPLY:

Parents often ask: "Why can't my child's tongue thrust be treated at school?" When parents discover that a tongue thrust is often treated by a Speech/Language Pathologist (SLP) they assume that the speech therapist at their child's school has been trained to do therapy with tongue thrust just as they were trained to treat other speech problems. Unfortunately, this is not true. At the present time, there are very few graduate programs of Speech Pathology that even address tongue thrust problems in their courses.

 
By Sandra Coulson

Myofunctional Considerations

One of the most controversial considerations in occlusion is the importance of the surrounding musculature in forming the occlusion. Certified orofacial myologists have been trained to identify, diagnose, and treat myofunctional problems. Many dental professionals are beginning to endorse those findings or support any treatment performed by orofacial myologists. Orofacial myologists work with speech therapists and dental professionals, especially orthodontists, who agree with the basis for this specially.

ASHA Survey

By

Sandra Holtzman

Neo- Health Services, Inc., represented by Sandra Holtzman, and Andreia Rodrigues, exhibited at ASHA convention in San Diego, in November, 2005. They had several goals, including the following: