Tailored Professional Development for Speech Pathology Practices

Curious about Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, but not ready to commit to a comprehensive four-day training course?

MyoSpeech Professional Development offers Speech Pathology teams a practical, evidence-informed introduction to Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) and how closely orofacial structure and function can intersect with the work we are already doing as Speech Pathologists.

Designed as a 2 or 3-hour group PD, it provides a more accessible and affordable way for your whole team to develop an introductory understanding of OMT, without the time and financial commitment of a four-day course.

Completely tailored to your workplace

No two Speech Pathology practices have the same caseload.

Your PD can be tailored to your team, client demographic and areas of greatest clinical need, allowing us to spend more time exploring the presentations most relevant to the clients walking through your doors.

What can we explore?

Depending on your team's needs, your PD may include:

• An introduction to Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) and their relevance to Speech Pathology

• Oral rest posture and why it matters

• The relationship between orofacial function and speech sound disorders PLUS the difficulties with carry over in conversational level

• Lisps, tongue thrust and other speech presentations that may have an orofacial myofunctional component

• Structural versus non-structural articulation disorders

• Differential diagnosis;  considering whether a speech sound difficulty may be motor, neurological, phonological, mislearning, structural/anatomical or myofunctional in origin

• Mouth breathing, airway and sleep considerations

• Tongue and lip ties, functional considerations and referral pathways

• Feeding, mastication and swallowing

• The potential relationship between orofacial function, dentition and jaw development and the flow on affect in our intervention

• Orofacial musculature and its role in speech and function

• Red flags Speech Pathologists may be well placed to identify

• Exploring assessment through an OMT lens ; including case history questions, face-to-face clinical observations and oral motor/orofacial assessment

• Exploring how intervention may differ with new OMT knowledge;  considering how an understanding of structure, function and oral rest posture may influence clinical reasoning and your existing Speech Pathology intervention

• Multidisciplinary collaboration; who we may work alongside, when to refer and why

• Case studies, clinical examples, photographs and videos to help connect the theory with everyday clinical practice

• Research and evidence-informed practice;  exploring relevant literature and how this knowledge may be critically integrated into Speech Pathology assessment and clinical reasoning

From research to the therapy room

Participants will be provided with a collection of relevant research articles and supporting resources to continue exploring the integration of orofacial myofunctional knowledge within Speech Pathology practice after the PD.

The aim is not simply to learn what the literature says, but to consider what it might mean for the clients you assess and treat every day.

What this PD does and doesn't provide

This is an introductory professional development session, not a replacement for comprehensive Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy training.

We will explore how new knowledge of OMT may influence your assessment, differential diagnosis, clinical reasoning and approach to intervention. It will add to your "toolbox". 

However, specific OMT therapy exercises and treatment protocols are not taught within this PD, as these require more advanced knowledge and training than can appropriately be provided within a 2 or 3-hour introductory session.

The goal is for your team to leave with a better understanding of:

What am I looking for?
What questions should I be asking?
What should I be assessing?
Could orofacial structure or function be contributing to what I'm seeing?
Does this change the way I think about intervention?
When should I refer or collaborate?

Choose the format that works for your team

2-HOUR WORKPLACE PD
A focused introduction to OMT and its relationship with Speech Pathology, tailored to your team's clinical needs.

3-HOUR WORKPLACE PD
A more comprehensive session with additional time to explore priority areas, assessment considerations, research, case studies and clinical application.

LIVE VIA ZOOM
Available to Speech Pathology practices regardless of location.

IN-PERSON — VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
In-house professional development can be provided to practices throughout Victoria. Additional travel costs apply and will be quoted according to your practice location.

Want to bring MyoSpeech to your team?

If your team is curious about OMT, seeing clients who aren't progressing as expected, or simply wants to better understand the relationship between speech, oral function, breathing, feeding, swallowing and orofacial development, this PD is designed to provide a practical starting point.

Enquire about a tailored workplace PD in our "Contact" page