Myofunctional vs. Speech Therapy: What’s the Difference & How They Can Help Your Child

‍Myofunctional Therapy vs. Speech Therapy:

What’s the Difference & How They Can Help Your Child

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At Flourish Airway, we work closely with both myofunctional therapists and speech therapists to support your child’s growth and development. These therapies may seem similar, but they serve different purposes. So, what’s the difference, and how do they help? Let’s break it down!

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What is Myofunctional Therapy?

Myofunctional therapy focuses on how the muscles of the face, mouth, and tongue work together to support proper breathing, swallowing, and oral habits.

Goals of Myofunctional Therapy:

✅ Teach the tongue to rest correctly at the roof of the mouth
✅ Encourage nasal breathing instead of mouth breathing
✅ Correct swallowing patterns (like tongue thrusting)
✅ Support healthy jaw and airway development

Who Benefits?

Children with:

• Tongue ties
• Mouth breathing
• Sleep-disordered breathing (like sleep apnea)
• Orthodontic concerns (such as an overbite or underbite)
• Feeding or breastfeeding difficulties

How It Works:

• Gentle exercises to strengthen facial muscles
• Training to improve tongue and lip posture
• Breathing techniques to encourage nasal breathing

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What is Speech Therapy?

Speech therapy helps children with communication and language development, including speech clarity, understanding, and expression.

Goals of Speech Therapy:

✅ Help children pronounce words correctly (e.g., fixing a lisp)
✅ Improve language skills, such as vocabulary and sentence formation
✅ Support children who stutter or have voice disorders
✅ Address swallowing challenges (if the therapist is trained in this area)

Who Benefits?

Children with:

• Speech sound difficulties (like a lisp or trouble saying certain letters)
• Language delays
• Stuttering or trouble with fluency
• Feeding/swallowing challenges

How It Works:

• Speech exercises to improve articulation
• Language-building activities to enhance communication skills
• Behavioral techniques to help with stuttering or voice control

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What’s the Difference?

• Myofunctional Therapy: Focuses on tongue, breathing, and muscle function.
• Speech Therapy: Focuses on speech sounds, language skills, and communication.

Where They Overlap:
Both therapies work with tongue posture, swallowing, and oral habits, but in different ways. For example, a speech therapist might work on fixing a lisp, while a myofunctional therapist focuses on the tongue posture causing the lisp.

Does My Child Need One or Both?

Many children benefit from a combination of both therapies for the best results. If you're unsure, we’re here to help!

Contact us at 925-837-7745 to learn more or schedule an evaluation.