Feeding, Speech, and Difficult-to-Break Oral Habits
For babies and young kids, a lot of skills actually start with the mouth. They use their mouth to explore their environment, to eat (first by sucking, then learning to chew), and eventually learn the complex mouth coordination necessary to talk.
So when things aren’t working properly in your child’s mouth, these seemingly small issues can show up in big ways.
Daily issues that indicate orofacial myofunctional issues:
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A baby who is a picky or fussy eater
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Difficulty nursing as an infant (e.g. painful latch or reflux)
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Toddler failure to thrive since infancy
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Difficulty chewing or swallowing
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Bottle use after the age of 12 months
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Neck pain
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18-month old who only eats a very limited diet
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Difficulty making certain speech sounds, even after speech therapy