Next Article in Journal
Development of the Nose and Soft Tissue Profile
Previous Article in Journal
Sensory/Motor Therapy for the Treatment of Oral Dyskinesia
 
 
International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy is published by MDPI from Volume 51 Issue 1 (2025). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by MDPI on mdpi.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with the previous journal publisher.
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Effects of Oral Myofunctional Therapy on Swallowing and Sibilant Production

by
Shelley L. Gommerman
1 and
Megan M. Hodge
2,*
1
Capital Health Authority, Public Health Services, Edmonton, AB, Canada
2
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Alberta, Rm 2-70, Corbett Hall, Edmonton, AB, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Orofac. Myol. Myofunct. Ther. 1995, 21(1), 9-22; https://doi.org/10.52010/ijom.1995.21.1.2
Submission received: 1 November 1995 / Revised: 1 November 1995 / Accepted: 1 November 1995 / Published: 1 November 1995

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of oral myofunctional therapy in eliminating a 16 year-old girl’s tongue thrust swallowing pattern and mild sibilant distortion. An ABC design was used where Phase A had eight baseline sessions (no treatment), Phase B had 14 oral myofunctional therapy sessions, and Phase Chad four articulation treatment sessions. Dependent measures of swallowing and sibilant production were obtained in each session. A third dependent variable, labial diadochokinetic rate, was also measured each session and served as a control for maturation. Oral myofunctional therapy was shown to be effective in eliminating the tongue thrust swallowing pattern of this subject, but not her sibilant distortion. However, her sibilant distortion reduced after one articulation treatment session and was maintained at negligible levels over the next three treatment sessions. As expected, labial diadochokinetic rate remained stable across the three phases. At the conclusion of Phase C, two bi-weekly home visits revealed that the subject had maintained and generalized her new swallowing pattern. Measures obtained six months after completion of Phase C indicated that the subject had maintained her new swallowing and speech production behaviors. The subject’s maximal tongue strength and endurance were below expected normal values at the initiation of the study and increased during the study. Her tongue endurance appeared more sensitive to the effects of oral myofunctional training than tongue strength and, unlike tongue strength, tongue endurance decreased in the six month period following completion of the study.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Gommerman, S.L.; Hodge, M.M. Effects of Oral Myofunctional Therapy on Swallowing and Sibilant Production. Int. J. Orofac. Myol. Myofunct. Ther. 1995, 21, 9-22. https://doi.org/10.52010/ijom.1995.21.1.2

AMA Style

Gommerman SL, Hodge MM. Effects of Oral Myofunctional Therapy on Swallowing and Sibilant Production. International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy. 1995; 21(1):9-22. https://doi.org/10.52010/ijom.1995.21.1.2

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gommerman, Shelley L., and Megan M. Hodge. 1995. "Effects of Oral Myofunctional Therapy on Swallowing and Sibilant Production" International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy 21, no. 1: 9-22. https://doi.org/10.52010/ijom.1995.21.1.2

APA Style

Gommerman, S. L., & Hodge, M. M. (1995). Effects of Oral Myofunctional Therapy on Swallowing and Sibilant Production. International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy, 21(1), 9-22. https://doi.org/10.52010/ijom.1995.21.1.2

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop