Historically, orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) programs have focused on the bidirectional relationship between form (structures of the body) and function (ie. nasal breathing, swallowing, chewing, speaking, etc.). Given that many children on OMT caseloads have some type of underlying airway issue and subsequent autonomic nervous system dysfunction, it is paramount that practitioners also consider foundations: the 2E’s (ie. Emotional Regulation and Executive Functions) when looking to implement OMT programs. In other words, we must move children out of their limbic systems and “fight, flight, or freeze” mode and into their prefrontal cortex in order to optimize their ability to access and benefit from our interventions. This lecture is the first of its kind to blend the research from the fields of educational neuroscience, sleep medicine, and applied myofunctional sciences for clinical practice integration to offer interdisciplinary practitioners an additional and important lens from which to screen and treat the needs of children with underlying sleep-related breathing and airway issues.

The participants will be able to: 

1. Relate 5 areas of impact to the limbic and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) areas of the brain secondary to sleep-related breathing disorders and airway issues, and their relationship to myofunctional therapy. 
2. Explain at least 3 methods to recognize clinical signs of dysfunction in the limbic and PFC areas of the brain. 
3. Describe 5 approaches to enhance emotional regulation and executive skill functioning for optimal myofunctional therapy outcomes.

Instructor Details and Financial Disclosure 

• Nicole Archambault, EdS, MS, CCC-SLP, CLEC

Schedule

 Timed Agenda 

• 10 minutes -- Overview & Primer 
• 10 minutes -- Research 
• 20 minutes -- Identification of Limbic System Dysfunction & Emotional Dysregulation 
• 25 minutes -- Clinical Approaches for Achieving Emotional Regulation 
• 20 minutes -- Identification of Executive Skill Dysfunction 
• 25 minutes -- Clinical Approaches for Optimizing Executive Function Skills 
• 10 minutes -- Q&A

Content Disclosure: This presentation will focus on treatment methods related to the use of TalkTools® resources. Other similar treatment approaches will receive limited or no coverage during this lecture. 

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