Just because our society has normalized different symptoms, diagnoses, etc that impact our health in a negative way, this does not make these things normal! Many things fall in this category but I have a few pet peeves. The best advice I can give is to get a second opinion whenever you are in doubt or your gut is telling you something more is going on.
Here are a few of the top diagnoses and symptoms that we shouldn’t write off as “normal” just because they are common.
First is ADHD/ADD (hi, it’s me!).
When I hear a child has been diagnosed with ADHD/ADD, I immediately want to know if their airway has been checked and if they have been assessed to rule out sleep disordered breathing and/or a tongue tie? All of which could lead to behavioral issues that mimic ADHD/ADD symptoms! Difficulty attending, restlessness, hyperactivity… yep, you name it!
Here’s another favorite. As feeding and myo therapists we often hear, “my child is a messy eater!” Here’s the thing. There is bound to be some type of mess when a child is eating. That said there is an excessive level of messy, where we see food falling out of hte child’s mouth when chewing, food all over the lips and face, etc. When the messy eating is enough that the parent is complaining, I want to know has that child been assessed for a tongue tie or an orofacial myofunctional disorder? Tethered oral tissues or an ofocial myofunctional disorder could very well be the underlying root cause!
Another big one is when parents say, “my child is still wetting the bed, we’ve gone to their pediatrician, but no luck!” Again, I go straight to airway. Can they breathe well? Are they experiencing sleep apnea or sleep disordered breathing? While there can be other causes, this is definitely one that should be explored early on and ruled out as it wreaks havoc on a child’s ability to breathe, get restorative sleep and thus thrive.
Just because something is common in all the mom groups doesn’t make it normal and doesn’t mean you or your child need to live with those symptoms forever! If you suspect your child may have a tongue tie or an orofacial myofunctional disorder, seek out one of our highly skilled myofunctional therapist today for a screening or evaluation!
If you’re a therapist and ready to dig in and assess your first myo client, join us in The Myo Method®!
