Orofacial Myofunctional Red Flags
Spend some time and go through these red flags created by Sharon Moore in her book Sleep Wrecked Kids* and answer Yes, No, and I don’t know. Answering “yes or I don’t know” is a sign that more questions need to be asked.
How does the face, mouth and throat look?
Puffy eyes?
Dark circles?
Dry lips?
Short upper lip that barely moves?
Lower lip that dominates or sits out from the upper lip?
Tongue sits low and forward or is out of the mouth?
Tongue is always visible?
Tendency to drool, have wet mouth or lips or rash around the mouth or wet shirt?
How the face mouth and throat sound? Do you answer “yes” to any of these?
Have a coughing and throat clearing habit?
Have audible breathing?
Become breathless with activity?
How does the muscles of the face, mouth and throat work?
Breath(es) through your/their mouth?
Chew your food fast?
Barely chew?
Chew with an open mouth?
Have food left over in the mouth after swallowing?
Chew noisily?
Avoid eating chew/crunchy food?
Swallow noisily?
Makes a facial grimace or tightens their/you lip/chin muscles while swallowing?
Have a tongue thrust swallow?
Tongue visible while talking/eating?
Tongue out a lot while doing activities or concentrating?
Forward head posture?
Slumped posture?
Dribbles and drools?
Questions for children:
Drinks regularly from a spouted/sippy cup?
Drinks regularly from any spout or baby bottle?
Sucks heir thumb/finger/dummy or other objects?
*Moore, Sharon. Sleep Wrecked Kids: Helping Parents Raise Happy, Healthy Kids, One sleep at a Time. Morgan James Publishing, 2020