Course Description

Historically myofunctional therapy was seemingly a mysterious technique that only a few progressive professionals were proficient in. In fact, it was often questioned as an evidence-based practice and those practicing were few and far between. TalkTools® Instructor Robyn Merkel-Walsh was one of those innovative professionals who was teaching the main concepts of orofacial myofunctional disorders, and the perspective on using this approach to treating speech sound disorders in children since 1998. Over the past 26 + years,  Robyn has merged her expertise in oral sensory-motor, feeding, and oral placement therapies with orofacial myology to create this  MYOTools course in n effort  enhance the clinical outcomes of many new patients beyond her own.

MYOTools will help clinicians who are new to orofacial myology explore an opportunity to look at their caseloads with a new lens. It will open the door to understanding the nexus of form and function and why this interaction is the foundation for improved airway health, sleep, oral resting posture,  feeding, and speech. With the MYOscreener and MYOstructure tools for assessment,  the prevention and identification of orofacial myofunctional disorders will be addressed.  The importance of interdisciplinary practice and a  referral base for the MYOteam will be encouraged. Then with MYOTools for intervention,  course attendees will be able to embark in their journey in orofacial myology. Course attendees can complete this course and decide to have the MYOTools they need to make proper referrals or be ready to move on to more advanced training if so desired.

Learning Outcomes

• Participants will be able to describe 3 structural anomalies associated with orofacial myofunctional disorders.
• Participants will be able to list 3 functional symptoms of an orofacial myofunctional disorder.
• Participants will be able to list two ways in which a restricted airway can interfere with the orofacial complex.

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

Instructor Bio 

Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP, COM®️ Bio and Financial Disclosure