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Surviving to Thriving: The Link Between Airway, Oral Motor Skills, and Optimal Development

Pediatric Health, Airway, and Sleep Disorders

Presented by: Kaitlyn Shrum, MA, CCC-SLP, CMT, QOM, certBBM, & Casey Masalehdani, MA, CCC-SLP

Original Publication Date: August 23, 2024

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Course Description:

Understanding typical oral motor development and its connection to multiple body systems places pediatric clinicians as key members of a collaborative team. We have a duty to identify and treat the root causes of oral-motor dysfunction and its impact on pediatric airway, feeding, and speech development. Attendees will become familiar with methods to obtain a comprehensive case history, including red flags for airway and oral motor dysfunction, a variety of assessment tools, typical vs. atypical oral motor development, and a number of disorders associated with oral motor dysfunction and airway concerns. We will introduce the START Approach to elevate understanding, identification, and treatment of our pediatric clients exhibiting signs and symptoms of airway concerns and oral motor deficits.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify typical oral motor development and its relation to a pediatric SLP’s caseload.
  • Define disorders associated with oral motor dysfunction, impaired oral motor skills, and orofacial myofunctional disorders.
  • Compile a comprehensive case history and identify one screener a pediatric SLP can add to their assessment battery.

Speaker Bios:

Kaitlyn Shrum, MA, CCC-SLP, CMT, QOM, certBBM, is a speech-language pathologist and certified Buteyko Breathing Method instructor. She owns Southern Speech and Myo, which provides myofunctional, articulation, and feeding services across the lifespan. Kaitlyn has been published for her work on pediatric sleep-disordered breathing and mentors other SLPs, OTs, and RDHs on their myo journeys.

Casey Masalehdani, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a board-certified and CA/NY state-licensed speech-language pathologist and owner of the private practice Explore Speech Co. in Palos Verdes Peninsula, California. She specializes in oral motor, feeding, orofacial myofunctional, and speech sound disorders. She is extremely passionate about airway health and educating others about these topics.