Specializing in feeding/swallowing, speech, and orofacial myofunctional disorders in children and adults
Hope Speech Pathology offers evidence-based practice along with “hope” and compassion to improve our patients’ quality of life!
- Oropharyngeal (mouth & throat)
- Dysphagia (swallowing disorder)
- Communication Disorders
Tongue Thrust
Tethered Oral Tissues
Resting Oral Posture
- Evaluation and Treatment
Swallowing Disorders
Swallowing problems affect about 1 in 25 adults annually. This can impact a persons life not only physically, but socially and emotionally as well. We specialize in diagnosing and treating oropharyngeal (mouth & throat) dysphagia (swallowing disorder). Hope Speech Pathology will strive to improve your swallowing so you can eat with enjoyment.
Some Signs and Symptoms
- Coughing or choking when eating or drinking
- Bringing food back up, sometimes through the nose
- A sensation that food is stuck in your throat or chest
- Persistent drooling of saliva
- Being unable to chew food properly
- A gurgly, wet-sounding voice when eating or drinking
- Evaluation and Treatment
Communication Disorders
Difficulty with communicating may include the following
There are many reasons why a person may have difficulty communicating and different modalities of our ability to communicate can be affected. Whether you are recovering from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or dealing with a neurological disorder we are here to help. Other communication problems can stem from voice problems or speech/articulation problems. Hope Speech Pathology will identify the communication problem and target specific areas to improve your ability to converse and share your thoughts with others.
Orofacial Myology
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder
What is an OMD?
Orofacial myofunctional disorder refers to improper function of the facial muscles, tongue and mouth. OMDs may directly or indirectly affect facial growth and development, chewing, swallowing, speech articulation, occlusion, oral hygiene, stability of orthodontic treatment, facial esthetics and more. Several factors can contribute to OMDs, one being inherited muscle patterns. Another is airway obstruction.
Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms of OMDs
Symptoms of orofacial myofunctional disorders can be very obvious or happen over a period of time and be unclear. Certain habits or conditions can interfere with proper actions of orofacial muscles causing OMD. These muscles include cheeks, jaw, lips and tongue. When these muscles function incorrectly due to habits or conditions, it can lead to improper development. This atypical development causes the muscles to have incorrect adaptations and not work in balance which can cause a variety of problems.
Do you suffer from any of the following?
- Mouth Breathing
- Orthodontic Relapse
- Chronic Tension
- Mood Disorders
- Jaw Pain
- Noxious Oral Habits
- Tongue Thrust
Snoring
- Chronic Headaches
Grinding
Swallowing Difficulty
Poor Posture
Sleep Apnea
Tongue-Tie
Speech Problems
- Our Program
Orofacial Myofunctional Program
Goals of the Program
Our Program is appropriate for children, teens and adults. Program goals are individualized and are meant to create new healthy oral habits. The benefit of healthy habits can include nasal breathing, a proper swallow pattern, favorable resting tongue position and preserving orthodontic results from this program.
This program is comprehensive and covers a variety of oral problems. This program helps reverse damaging habits, such as tongue thrust. This program can last from six months to a year. The objective of this program is to eliminate bad habits, demonstrate therapeutic facial exercises, develop proper lip seal and tongue placement and teach chewing and swallowing patterns to reinforce good habits. These goals will help the structures in the mouth stay in balance and habitualizing the learned behaviors is most important for long term success.
“ Once you choose hope,
anything’s possible”
— Christopher Reeve
We are committed to offering a variety of services for preschool age children, school aged children, teens, and adults. We provide a thorough assessment that relates to each modality affected and develop an individualized treatment plan to address the needs of our patients.
We aim to treat our patients in a comfortable environment while offering them necessary comprehensive care. We understand that having difficulty with communication and/or swallowing can be difficult and we are dedicated to helping you achieve your goals.
“Amy is fabulous. She goes the extra-mile to make sure you understand how you are progressing and will communicate with you to keep you fully informed.”