The Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist in Assessment and Management of Oral Myofunctional Disorders

Position Statement

It is the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) that:

1. Oral myofunctional phenomena, including abnormal fronting (tongue thrust) of the tongue at rest and during swallowing, lip incompetency, and sucking habits, can be identified reliably. These conditions co-occur with speech misarticulations in some patients;

2. Tongue fronting may reflect learned behaviors, physical variables, or both;

3. There is published research that indicates that oral myofunctional therapy is effective in modifying disorders of tongue and lip posture and movement;

4. Investigation, assessment, and treatment of oral myofunctional disorders are within the purview of speech-language pathology;

5. The speech-language pathologist who desires to perform oral myofunctional services must have the required knowledge and skills to provide a high quality of treatment. The provision of oral myofunctional therapy remains an option of individual speech-language pathologists whose interests and training qualify them;

6. Evaluation and treatment should be interdisciplinary and tailored to the individual. The speech-language pathologist performing oral myofunctional therapy should collaborate with an orthodontist, pediatric dentist, or other dentists, and with medical specialists such as an otolaryngologist, pediatrician, or allergist, as needed;

7. Appropriate goals of oral myofunctional therapy should include the retraining of labial and lingual resting and functional patterns (including speech). The speech-language pathologist's statements of treatment goals should avoid predictions of treatment outcome based on tooth position or dental occlusal changes; and

8. Basic and applied research is needed regarding the nature and evaluation of oral myofunctions and the treatment of oral myofunctional disorders.