Pediatric Speech Therapy For Tongue Thrust

What is tongue thrust?

When kids grow, they all do so differently.

Not every kid is the same, and that’s a good thing.

But some of these developmental differences can bring challenges along with them.

These challenges may occur for any number of reasons.

If your child has any challenges that seem to be connected to their mouth, teeth, or tongue, there could be a number of reasons for it.

Some of the more common ones include:

• Autism
• Cerebral palsy
• Childhood apraxia of speech
• Down syndrome
• Cleft lip or cleft palate
• Tongue tie
• And more

Finally, tongue thrust is another common childhood condition that can impact speech and language development.

At our clinic, we have plenty of experience helping children overcome their tongue thrust challenges.

If you’re looking for a pediatric speech therapist in Washington DC, you’re in the right place.

We’re Triumph Therapeutics, and in this article will talk all about tongue trust in children.

We’ll look at its causes, how you can recognize it in your child, as well as some of the ways a pediatric speech therapist can help.

Keep reading to learn more.

What Is Tongue Thrust?

Children with tongue thrust have tongues that push (or “thrust”) against their lips in order to create a seal with their mouth.

The purpose of this seal is to help them swallow, and is fairly normal in babies, especially if you breast/chest or bottle feed them.

This pushing movement helps them feed properly.

In most children, as they grow older and their feeding habits change, this generally stops.

If tongue thrust continues past age four, it can lead to certain conditions, including overbite and other tooth alignment challenges, as well as complications related to speech development.

What Causes Tongue Thrust?

Chronic thumb sucking is one of the most common causes of tongue thrust.

Most infants suck their thumbs from time to time.

However, continued thumb sucking past the age of 2 can pose significant challenges for your child’s tooth development and swallowing skills.

As your child sucks on their thumb, their tongues repeatedly move forward and backwards.

This repetitive movement can encourage tongue thrust.

Some other potential causes of tongue thrust include:

• Poor habits related to swallowing
• Tongue tie (a congenital condition which restricts the tongues range of motion)
• Lip or nail biting
• Enlarged tongue or tonsils
• Heredity
• Allergies
• Structural differences
• Grinding or clenching of the teeth or jaw
• Chronic nasal congestion

Tongue Thrust Symptoms And Complications

If your child has tongue thrust, you might not notice at first.

However, there are certain telltale signs that might signify a possible case of tongue thrust in infants.

Some ways to tell if your child has tongue thrust include watching for the following:

• Eating very quickly, or very slowly
• Messy eating
• A speech sound disorder, especially ones that cause difficulty with the letters ‘s’ and/or ‘z’
• Tip of the tongue visible when speaking, swallowing, or resting
• Difficulty completely close their lips
• Breathing through the mouth

RELATED: Understanding Feeding Therapy And Speech Therapy – How They Are Related

If you notice any of the above symptoms in your child, it’s always a good idea to bring them into our clinic for an evaluation.

Without intervention, your child’s tongue thrust can lead to further complications, such as crooked teeth.

Crooked teeth often occur with tongue thrust due to constant pressure from your child’s tongue against their teeth.

Over time, this pressure produces an open bite or a gap in their teeth.

Long term, untreated tongue thrust can also result in a lisp, and elongation of the facial shape.

Diagnosing Tongue Thrust

So, what should you do if you suspect your child has tongue thrust?

Fortunately, there’s plenty of help available.

A number of different healthcare professionals can provide their expertise as well as diagnostic and intervention services.

This includes pediatricians, dentists, orthodontists, ear, nose and throat specialists (ENTs), and of course, speech therapists.

Speech therapists are skilled professionals that can both diagnose and provide intervention services for tongue thrust.

The speech therapy evaluation process involves watching how your child speaks, as well as how they swallow.

Your speech therapist may also hold down your child’s lip in order to view the placement of their tongue while swallowing.

In some cases, your child’s evaluation may also include multiple medical professionals that can help with the diagnosis process, as well as in any subsequent treatment plans.

Speech Therapy Treatments For Tongue Thrust

If your child is diagnosed with tongue thrust, working with a speech therapist can help.

For instance, your child’s speech therapist might utilize orofacial myofunctional treatment.

This form of speech therapy helps correct the placement of your child’s tongue, lips, and jaw.

Speech therapy for tongue thrust can help your child resolve their challenges surrounding swallowing as well as correct any impediments they may have developed.

The therapy process looks different for everyone and will depend on your child’s specific needs and limitations.

For instance, if your child’s main tongue thrust complication is swallowing challenges, they’ll likely require minimal therapy.

Treatment generally takes longer for children with articulation challenges.

Regardless of the specific issues, the most important thing to remember is that tongue thrust is a treatable condition.

With treatment, your child will likely make a full recovery.

Book Your Appointment With Our Pediatric Therapy Clinic Today

Have you noticed that your child is experiencing challenges with messy eating (more so than what you might expect for their age)?

Or are they starting to speak, and you’re noticing their speech is distorted (in particular with the letters ‘s’ and ‘z’)?

These are just a couple of the telltale signs of tongue thrust.

With the help of a speech therapist, this is a highly treatable condition.

If you’re looking to seek out a diagnosis for tongue thrust, our experienced pediatric therapists in Washington DC can help.

In many cases, tongue thrust is a result of poor swallowing, and as with any habit the sooner you can start to work on it, the better.

Book your appointment with Triumph Therapeutics today.