Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP, COM®️ has specialized for over 24 years in OPT, myofunctional disorders and feeding disorders. She is employed by the Ridgefield Board of Education, runs a private practice in Ridgefield, NJ, is the board chair of the Oral Motor Institute, and is a member of the TalkTools® speakers bureau. She teaches TOTs, Autism and Tongue Thrust courses in addition to multiple webinars on topics including but not limited to lisps, oral structure, Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder, feeding and clinical parameters for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Robyn has been invited to speak on Oral Placement disorders by Conversations in Speech Pathology, Bergen County Region V, the IAOM, The Apraxia Network, AAPPSPA and the MOSAIC Foundation. Robyn has received specialized training in Oral Placement Disorders, feeding, apraxia, Applied Behavioral Analysis, autism, cranio-facial anomalies, Beckman Techniques and PROMPT.  Robyn was awarded the Ridgefield Women in History Month's Business Woman of the Year in 2019. Robyn is also the co-author of Functional Improvements of Speech,Feeding, and Sleep After Lingual Frenectomy Tongue-Tie Release: A Prospective Cohort Study 

Books by Robyn

• Functional Assessment and Remediation of TOTs (Tethered Oral Tissues)
  co-written with Lori Overland, MS, CCC-SLP, C/NDT, CLC
• A Sensory-Motor Approach to Feeding
  co-written with Lori Overland, MS, CCC-SLP, C/NDT, CLC

 

Articles by Robyn

• Functional Assessment of Feeding Challenges in Children with Ankyloglossia
• Social Media: It's Different for Professionals
  
• A Further Dialogue on Oral Placement Therapy (OPT)
• Diet-Shaping for Self-Limited Diets in Children With a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
• A Modern Look at Van Riper's Phonetic Placement Approach
• Using Tactile Techniques to Improve Speech Clarity in Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech 
• Connections Between Tongue Placement and Dental Alignment
• Oral-Motor Issues
• The Similarities and Differences of Oral-Motor Therapy and PROMPT
• Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy: What's the Connection? Oral-Motor, Sensory, and Feeding Skills
• Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) vs. Non-Speech Oral Motor Exercises (NSOME): Understanding the Debate
• A Case for Oral Placement Therapy
• What Evidence-Based, Oral Sensory-Motor Treatments are Effective for Speech Disorders?
• Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders in Individuals with a Diagnosis of Down Syndrome
• AAPPSPA Position Statement – Oral-motor Therapy
• Autism Spectrum Disorders: Clinical Parameters of Oral Placement Therapy (OPT)

Disclosures

Financial Disclosure: Owner of Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP®. Member of TalkTools® speakers bureau; receives speaker honorarium. Author of products published by TalkTools®; receives royalty payments

Non-Financial Disclosure: Robyn is the Board Chair of the Oral Motor Institute, and volunteers as the CE Provider Management for Marshalla Speech and Language (ABBL).