Connecting Minds Holistic Speech Pathology

26/07/2026

👃 HOW DO YOU PRACTISE NASAL BREATHING?

As a Speech Pathologist and Orofacial Myologist, I often talk with families about how we breathe and how our oral structures function together.

Nasal breathing is the typical breathing pattern at rest. But if someone is regularly breathing through their mouth, the first question isn’t:

❌ “How do I make them close their mouth?”

It’s:

🔎 “Why are they mouth breathing?”

There can be many reasons, including nasal congestion, allergies or difficulty breathing comfortably through the nose.

If nasal breathing is comfortable, we can begin to build awareness of a more functional resting pattern:

👄 Lips gently together — without squeezing
👅 Tongue lightly suctioned along the palate
🦷 Jaw relaxed
👃 Quiet breathing through the nose

This can be practised during calm activities such as reading, drawing or watching TV.

🌿 The important part?

We don’t want to force the mouth closed.

As an Orofacial Myologist, I assess breathing, oral rest posture, tongue and lip function, swallowing and other orofacial patterns to understand how these systems are working together.

If nasal breathing is difficult, we may recommend collaboration with other health professionals to investigate the underlying cause.

The goal isn’t simply “close your mouth.”

It’s comfortable, functional breathing and an oral posture that supports everyday function.

📩 Concerned about your child’s mouth breathing or oral rest posture? An orofacial myofunctional assessment may help determine whether further investigation or support is appropriate.

23/07/2026

Excited to share this insightful conversation with Dr Mike DeLuke and Dr Shereen Lim. A great discussion on looking beyond tongue ties and the role of oral ties in breathing, feeding, facial development, and collaborative care. Well worth a listen!

LINK TO FULL EPISODE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK9ggZhKTdg

11/07/2026

As a holistic speech pathologist, I see every day how breathing and sleep can impact a child’s speech, feeding, behaviour, learning, and overall wellbeing.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your child’s sleep could be affecting their development, this FREE webinar is well worth attending.

I’m also excited to see my colleague, Francesca Clarke, presenting alongside Dr Vijaya Molloy. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Fran and highly recommend learning from her.

📅 25 August 2026
🎟️ Free to attend – registration is essential.

BREATHING DISORDERED SLEEP Webinar

25th August, hosted by Dr Vijaya Molloy from Vitality Dental Tuggerah together with Francesca Clarke from Myobreatheease_clinic

Register now, free to attend, registration is essential

https://www.drveeshealthhub.com/breathing-disordered-sleep

A few of the signs your child's breathing may be impacting their sleep:

1. Their mouth is always open
2. They struggle to concentrate/ always fidgeting/can't sit still
3. 'Big' emotions
4. Night time bedwetting
5. Gastric reflux
6. Always tired/lethargic

This webinar will provide useful insights not only for parents but adults who have struggled with any of the above their entire life

13/01/2026

✨ We’re Open for 2026! ✨
We’re so excited to welcome our families back to the clinic for another year of growth, learning, and connection 💛
As we head into 2026, we have limited openings for new families and would love to support children who need help with:
🗣 Speech sounds
💬 Communication
📚 Literacy
🍽 Mealtime skills
👄 Orofacial myology
If you’ve been thinking about getting extra support for your child, now is the perfect time to reach out. Early bookings are recommended as spaces fill quickly.
We can’t wait to work alongside you and your family this year ✨
📩 Get in touch:
DM us here
📧 [email protected]
📞 0417 853 377

22/12/2025

🎄 Merry Christmas🎄

As we wrap up the year, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to all our wonderful families and clients for your trust and support throughout the year.

We finished today on a festive note by building a gingerbread house together with one of our clients during their session — a lovely reminder that therapy can be meaningful and fun 💛🏠

Please note, our clinic will be closed from 24th December and will reopen on 12th January. We look forward to welcoming you back in the new year, refreshed and ready for 2026.

Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a safe, happy holiday season ✨🎅

— Michelle🎄🎁🛷

25/11/2025

💬 New research is changing the way we understand children’s speech sound disorders — and it’s really encouraging for families.

A new study, The Articulatory Basis of Phonological Error Patterns in Childhood Speech Sound Disorders, has found evidence for something speech pathologists trained and experienced in orofacial myology see every day:

👉 Many speech sound errors aren’t just “phonological” or rule-based — they’re linked to real differences in how a child’s jaw, lips, and tongue move.

The study looked at 48 preschool children with moderate–severe speech sound disorders and found:

🔹 Difficulties like cluster reduction, final consonant deletion, stopping, fronting, and gliding were strongly connected to underlying speech motor control challenges.

🔹 These children often had reduced control of the jaw, lips, and tongue — the exact muscles and movements needed to make clear speech.

🔹 Interestingly, gliding (“wabbit” for “rabbit”) was less related to motor difficulty and may be a compensatory stage.

🔹 Speech errors weren’t just “mix-ups” — they often reflected the child’s developing motor system.

✨ Why this matters:
This research supports approaches used by speech pathologists with training in orofacial myology, who blend phonological learning with motor-based strategies to strengthen, coordinate, and refine speech movements.

For parents, this means:

✔ Your child isn’t “lazy” or “not trying.”
✔ Many speech errors reflect real developmental differences.
✔ Motor-informed therapy can target underlying causes, not just symptoms.

If you'd like to chat about what this might mean for your child’s speech development, I’m always happy to help.

Phone me on 0417 853 377 or email me [email protected] if you feel your child may benefit from this approach.

Speech acquisition involves complex coordination of articulatory structures, primarily the jaw, lips, and tongue. Typically developing children acquire speech sounds in a hierarchical sequence governed by progressive neuromotor maturation. However, ...

18/11/2025

🌟 Now Certified in the Bebe Munchee 🌟
I’m excited to share that I am now a certified Bebe Munchee practitioner, and families can now purchase the medical-grade silicone Bebe Munchee directly through me.
Because it’s a therapeutic oral appliance, it’s only available through certified practitioners.

🍼 How the Bebe Munchee can help (6–18 months):
The Bebe Munchee gently encourages healthy oral development and early chewing skills. With consistent use, it can help support:
• Lips coming together more easily
• The tongue resting up toward the palate
• A smoother, more coordinated swallow
• Gradual comfort exploring new textures and solids
• Nasal breathing becoming more natural
• Strengthening of the muscles needed for chewing

👶 Signs your little one may benefit:
• Frequent dribbling or drooling
• Open-mouth breathing or resting with the mouth open
• Gagging or coughing when trying more textured foods
• Minimal interest in chewing
• Difficulty maintaining a good seal on the bottle or cup
• Waking often overnight
• Snoring or noisy breathing during sleep
• Had a tongue-tie release but feeding or solids are still challenging

If you’re wondering whether the Bebe Munchee is right for your child, feel free to reach out for guidance, assessment, or to arrange a purchase.

✨ A very special thank you to Dr Mary Bourke and the MyoMunchee team for the images used in this post.

12/11/2025

👂💭 Such an important reminder from the MyoMunchee team and Mary Bourke 💕

As a speech pathologist with additional training in orofacial myology, I often see young children who experience frequent ear or sinus congestion. In some cases, these patterns are linked to how the tongue, lips and jaw are working together — especially if the tongue isn’t lifting properly to the palate during swallowing.

Through assessment and therapy, we can explore whether oral function may be contributing to these issues and support more efficient patterns that promote clearer breathing, swallowing and overall oral health.

Thank you to and Mary Bourke for continuing to raise awareness in this area 🙏

12/11/2025

🌿 5 Everyday Habits That Can Influence Your Child’s Face, Airway & Speech 🌿

Did you know that the way your child breathes, swallows, and rests their mouth can gently shape how their face and jaw grow — and even how clearly they speak?

These patterns often develop without us realising. Habits like mouth breathing, thumb or finger sucking, or prolonged dummy use are common and often soothing… but when they continue over time, they can subtly influence:
💨 Airway development and nasal breathing
🦷 Jaw and dental growth
🗣️ Clarity and ease of speech

The good news? With gentle awareness and support, these habits can be guided in positive directions. Orofacial myofunctional therapy (and speech therapy) help retrain the muscles of the lips, tongue, and jaw to work together for clear speech, comfortable breathing, and healthy facial growth.

✨ Early awareness makes a lifelong difference — helping little ones breathe, speak, and grow with confidence. ✨

If you’ve noticed any of these habits and are curious about what they mean, a chat with a Speech Pathologist trained in Orofacial Myology can help you understand the next steps.

👩‍⚕️ Michelle at Connecting Minds Holistic Speech Pathology
M: 0417 853 377 E: [email protected]
Adelaide Speech Pathologist | Orofacial Myologist