What is Myofunctional Therapy— and Why I stopped calling it a “Buzzword”
If you’re anything like me, you may have heard the phrase “myofunctional therapy” come up again and again in conversations about speech—almost like a buzzword everyone seemed to understand.
Parents mentioned it. Colleagues referenced it. It showed up in discussions about articulation, feeding, orthodontics, and sleep.
And for a while, I found myself wondering… What does it actually mean? And why does it matter so much?
It wasn’t until deeper research, hands-on experience, and continuing education that things truly clicked.
The Missing Piece I Kept Seeing in Speech Therapy
As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I’ve always known that speech doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s influenced by breathing, posture, muscle coordination, and sensory awareness.
What I began to realize is this:
Many children weren’t struggling because they couldn’t make a sound—they were struggling because their bodies didn’t yet know what they were doing.
Before we can change speech patterns, we often need to build awareness:
Where is the tongue resting?
How is a child breathing at rest?
Are lips closing comfortably?
Is chewing efficient or exhausting?
That awareness is the foundation of myofunctional therapy.
So… What Is Myofunctional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy supports how the mouth, tongue, lips, jaw, and breath work together during everyday activities like:
Breathing
Eating and chewing
Swallowing
Speaking
Resting posture
When these systems aren’t working efficiently, children may develop patterns that affect speech clarity, feeding comfort, sleep quality, and endurance.
Myofunctional therapy helps children notice, explore, and gently reshape those patterns in a way that feels supportive—not forced.
Why Awareness Comes Before Change
One of the biggest shifts in my thinking came from this realization:
You can’t change a pattern you don’t feel.
In myofunctional therapy, we don’t jump straight to “fixing.”
We start with:
Awareness before expectations
Function before form
Regulation before repetition
This is especially important for children with speech disorders, feeding challenges, or sensory sensitivities. When a child feels safe and understood, progress becomes more meaningful—and more lasting.
Who Often Benefits from Myofunctional Support?
Myofunctional therapy may support children who:
Breathe through their mouth or rest with an open mouth
Snore, grind teeth, or experience restless sleep
Have difficulty with chewing or swallowing patterns
Fatigue easily during meals or speech tasks
Have a history of tongue tie, lip tie, or orthodontic concerns
Show speech sound differences related to oral movement patterns
It’s rarely about just one skill—it’s about how everything works together.
What This Means for Families
Myofunctional therapy isn’t about pressure or perfection.
It’s about helping children feel more comfortable, efficient, and confident in their bodies.
Sometimes that means therapy.
Sometimes that means guidance and monitoring.
Sometimes it simply means reassurance that you’re noticing the right things.
And sometimes, it means realizing that what once sounded like a “buzzword” is actually a missing puzzle piece.
When we build awareness first, everything else has room to grow.
