An Open Letter to The Informed SLP

Recent studies suggest that speech, solid feeding, and sleep difficulties may be linked to restricted tongue function. Children with tongue restrictions and speech, feeding, and sleep issues underwent lingual frenectomies with a CO2 laser, paired with myofunctional exercises. Questionnaires were completed before, 1 week after, and 1 month following treatment. Thirty-seven patients participated in the study (mean age 4.2 years [range 13 months to 12 years]). Overall, speech improved in 89%, solid feeding improved in 83%, and sleep improved in 83% of patients as reported by parents. Fifty percent (8/16) of speech-delayed children said new words after the procedure (P = .008), 76% (16/21) of slow eaters ate more rapidly (P < .001), and 72% (23/32) of restless sleepers slept less restlessly (P < .001). After tongue-tie releases paired with exercises, most children experience functional improvements in speech, feeding, and sleep. Providers should screen for oral restrictions in children and refer for treatment when functions are impaired.

TalkTools® was created to provide the best Oral-Placement Therapy (OPT) techniques, training, and tools to clients, therapists and parents. Our therapy techniques add a tactile component to feeding and speech therapy, enabling clients to “feel” the movements necessary for the development of speech clarity.

Robyn is an author, international lecturer, and subject matter expert on the diagnosis and treatment of Tethered Oral Tissue.

Robyn's paper on muscle tension dysphonia and ankyloglossia with The Breathe Institute inspired her to pursue a graduate certification in vocology.

TalkTools® original Oral Placement to Speech Kit (OPT-S) is an innovative articulation program designed to translate muscle movements into speech sound production.

This book is the go-to, comprehensive, evidence- based manual for the assessment and treatment of TOTs in infants, children and adults.

Read Robyn Merkel Walsh's reply to an article in the New York Times titled "Inside the Booming Business of Cutting Babies’ Tongues". Robyn goes into great detail describing the inaccuracies in this article decrying frenectomies and tongue tie release.

Robyn is an Ambassador and is a Guest Faculty member of The Breathe Institute where she presents for Myo Masterminds and teaches an Ethics and Scope of Practice course found at https://www.breathecourses.com/#section-1652990348486.

The buccal frenum is connective tissue that adheres the mucosa of the cheek to the alveolar process. When restricted, this condition is commonly known as a buccal- or cheek-tie. Restrictive buccal frena are often treated during tongue- and lip-tie procedures, yet widely accepted classification, diagnostic and treatment guidelines are lacking.

This website has a number of articles, poster presentations, peer reviewed journals, blogs and podcasts that serve as a terrific resource for anyone wanting to learn more about OPT, Myofunctional, Feeding and more.

The SMILE (SysteMatic Intervention for Lingual Elevation) Program is a fun and effective way to remediate orofacial myofunctional challenges in children 4-12, teens and adults.

The OMI is established to publish monographs that demonstrate the evidence base of oral sensory and motor techniques for articulation, motor speech, and feeding treatment. Its mission is to contribute to the field of speech-language-hearing science by expanding our knowledge about the sensory and motor components of articulation, motor speech, and feeding development, disorders, assessment and treatment

The International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy (IJOM) is dedicated to the study and management of orofacial myofunctional disorders. The IJOM has recently fully accessed. Robyn has several papers in this journal.

1. https://ijom.iaom.com/journal/vol46/iss1/3/

Merkel-Walsh, R. (2020). Orofacial myofunctional therapy with children ages 0-4 and individuals with special needs. International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy, 46(1), 22-36.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52010/ijom.2020.46.1.3

2. https://ijom.iaom.com/journal/vol49/iss1/1/

Summersgill, I., et al. (2023). Muscle tension dysphonia in singers and professional speakers with ankyloglossia: Impact of treatment with lingual frenuloplasty and orofacial myofunctional therapy. International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy, 49(1), 1-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52010/ijom.2023.49.1.1

3. https://ijom.iaom.com/journal/vol48/iss1/3/

Merkel-Walsh, R. (2022). Review of A Trip to The Land of Funny Animals: Oral Motor and Myofunctional Exercises for Toddlers by Hilit Brown. International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy, 48(1), 1-2.
DOI: 10.52010/ijom.2022.48.1.3

A Sensory Motor Approach to Feeding is an evidence-based text that teaches clinicians and parents alike the underpinnings of feeding disorders in a variety of diagnoses.