7 Signs Your Child May Benefit From Myofunctional Therapy

When it comes to your child’s health and development, it’s easy to look at each concern on its own. Maybe they’re always tired, tend to breathe through their mouth, have restless nights, or seem to struggle with certain everyday tasks. You may have been told it’s just a phase, something they’ll grow out of, or simply the way they are. But sometimes, there’s a bigger picture behind these everyday concerns. Here’s the part many parents don’t know: there’s a connection between oral function and things like breathing, sleep, eating, and even how the tongue and jaw rest. These everyday functions all rely on the muscles of the mouth and face working together properly. It’s something we look at in myofunctional therapy, which can help uncover patterns that are easy to miss or simply written off as “just the way your child is. I know this because I was once the child experiencing these very challenges. For years, I had different symptoms treated as separate issues, without anyone connecting the dots. Discovering myofunctional therapy changed the way I understood my own health and ultimately led me to this work. Knowing what to look for can be the first step. Here are 7 signs your child may benefit from myofunctional therapy.

Frequent Mouth Breathing

Mouth breathing can be easy to overlook, especially when it has become your child’s normal way of breathing. But when it happens regularly, even when they aren’t sick or congested, it can be a sign that something is affecting how the tongue, lips, jaw, or airway are functioning. You may notice their lips resting apart, a dry mouth, or mouth breathing while they sleep. Nasal breathing plays an important role in healthy oral function, so persistent mouth breathing is worth paying attention to and exploring further.

Snoring or Restless Sleep

It’s easy to think of snoring as just a sign that your child is really tired. But if it happens often, or you notice lots of tossing and turning, mouth-open sleeping, or frequent waking, it may be worth looking a little closer. Sometimes, a child can sleep for what seems like a full night and still wake up tired or just not quite themselves. How your child breathes while they sleep can make a difference in how well they actually rest.

Constant Congestion or Difficulty Breathing Through the Nose

Some kids just seem to be congested all the time. Between seasonal allergies, colds, and everything else they pick up, it can feel like a stuffy nose is simply part of childhood. When nasal breathing is consistently difficult, though, it can change the way a child breathes throughout the day and night. A blocked or restricted nose often leads kids to rely on their mouth to get enough air comfortably. This can encourage a mouth-breathing pattern and affect the natural resting position of the tongue, lips, and jaw. Since ongoing congestion can have several causes, identifying what’s making nasal breathing difficult is an important first step.

Difficulty Chewing or Swallowing

Mealtimes can tell you a lot about how your child’s mouth is functioning. Some signs that chewing or swallowing may be taking more effort than they should include:

• Taking a long time to finish meals

• Avoiding certain textures or foods that are harder to chew

• Chewing with their mouth open

• Holding food in their cheeks

• Needing frequent sips of liquid to help swallow

• Having food or liquid spill from their mouth

Kids can be slow eaters or picky with food for all sorts of reasons. When it consistently seems harder for them to chew or swallow, though, it’s worth paying attention to how those muscles are working.

Low or Forward Tongue Posture

Many parents, and even adults, are surprised to learn that the tongue has a resting position. It isn’t meant to simply sit wherever it happens to land. Ideally, the tongue rests gently against the roof of the mouth, with the lips closed and the jaw relaxed. In children, a tongue that sits low or rests forward against the teeth can affect how the tongue, lips, and jaw work together during important everyday functions like breathing, swallowing, and speaking. A forward tongue posture may also contribute to a tongue thrust and place pressure against the teeth, which can influence how the bite develops as a child grows.

Crowded Teeth or Changes in Oral Development

Crowded teeth are often seen as an orthodontic issue, but the teeth don’t develop in isolation. The tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw all influence the space and forces around them. Significant crowding, an open bite, or a bite that doesn’t come together evenly can sometimes be linked with oral habits or muscle patterns. Low tongue posture, mouth breathing, and a forward tongue thrust can all play a role.

Of course, not every orthodontic concern is caused by muscle function. Genetics, jaw structure, and other factors matter too, which is why looking at how everything is working together can be so important.

Speech or Oral Muscle Coordination Challenges

Sometimes you can hear that a child is having trouble with certain sounds, but the reason behind it isn’t always obvious. Maybe they’ve been working on the same sounds for a while, their speech still sounds a little unclear, or they seem to have difficulty getting their tongue to do what they want it to do.

A few things you might notice include:

• Difficulty with certain speech sounds, especially sounds that require precise tongue placement, such as “th,” “s,” “z,” or “l.”

• Trouble lifting the tongue, moving it side to side, or reaching certain positions

• Difficulty coordinating the tongue and lips for specific sounds

• Speech that remains unclear despite practice or therapy

• Tongue pushing forward or coming between the teeth when swallowing

What Could Improve With Myofunctional Therapy?

Once the underlying patterns are understood, the focus shifts to helping your child build better habits and muscle coordination. With time and consistent practice, the goal is to make these new patterns feel more natural and become part of everyday life. Parents may notice improvements such as:

✓ More restful sleep and better energy ✓ Improved ability to stay focused and attentive during the school day ✓ More comfortable and consistent nasal breathing ✓ Easier chewing, swallowing, and eating

✓ Clearer speech when oral muscle patterns are contributing to speech difficulties ✓ Better tongue, lip, and jaw coordination ✓ Improved oral resting posture and tongue position ✓ Support for healthier bite and orthodontic development Every child is different, and the changes you notice will depend on what’s contributing to their concerns in the first place. The goal of myofunctional therapy is to address those underlying patterns and give your child the tools to develop healthier, more efficient oral function.

When to Consider Myofunctional Therapy for Your Child

Myofunctional therapy can be beneficial when a child shows patterns involving breathing, oral posture, chewing, swallowing, or speech. An assessment looks at how the tongue, lips, jaw, and facial muscles are functioning together and whether these patterns may be affecting everyday function or oral development. You may want to consider an assessment if:

• Concerns have been ongoing rather than occasional

• Your child has several related symptoms or patterns

• Sleep, eating, breathing, or speech are being affected

• Previous support hasn’t fully addressed the underlying concerns

• You’re noticing changes in your child’s bite or oral development

• You simply feel that something isn’t quite adding up

Rather than tracking each symptom separately, myofunctional therapy looks at how the different parts of the orofacial system are working together. By identifying the underlying patterns behind breathing, sleep, swallowing, tongue posture, and other concerns, treatment can be more targeted, with a focus on improving function and supporting lasting results.

Ready to Connect the Dots?

Every child deserves the chance to breathe, sleep, eat, speak, and grow comfortably, with the right support along the way. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that getting answers early can make such a difference. If you’ve been noticing some of these signs in your child, let’s take a closer look. Book a consultation to talk through your concerns, learn more about myofunctional therapy, and find out what support may be right for your child. I work with families worldwide through virtual appointments, so you can get started no matter where you’re located.