ABOUT

It all started with the book Breath by James Nestor. Finally, all the pieces of the puzzle started to click and make sense with my child. My son was a habitual mouth breather, but I never understood the causes, or the long term health implications. I began to go down the rabbit hole of learning about the etiology of mouth breathing, AND how to correct it. 

The journey began with  learning about orofacial myofunctional therapy (aka MYO), which is a therapy that looks at the function (or dysfunction) of the muscular system of the face and mouth. When this system is out of balance, we see things like crooked teeth, changes in the facial growth (long face syndrome) and sleep disordered breathing. Sleep disordered breathing is an underlying condition for many children diagnosed with ADHD and other learning disorders. 

Myofunctional therapy is appropriate for children ages 4 and up. But what about those younger children, the ones that are already showing signs in as young as 6 months of age? This is where feeding therapy enters. Children with myofunctional disorders may also present with challenges with feeding, either with certain taste/texture preferences, or with difficulty managing the food in their mouth. Through targeted therapy and activities, correct orofacial development can be supported. 

The journey has continued with a passion(obsession?) into the world of tethered oral tissues (TOT’s). This tiny little string of restrictive fascia under the tongue can make a HUGE impact throughout the body. More and more research is coming out suggesting that tethered oral tissues, commonly referred to as a tongue tie, may be correlated with sleep disordered breathing, feeding challenges including picky/restrictive eating, changes in the development of the orofacial complex including crowding of the upper teeth, TMJ disorders, headaches, migraines- even a connection to the pelvic floor! 

I have a passion for learning, and I am always on the lookout for a training or workshop that will assist me in providing better care to my clients. 

Professional Background

Andrea earned her MS in occupational therapy from Utica University. She is board certifed by NBCOT and holds licenses in both NY and VA. She has studied orofacial myofunctional therapy from both AOMT and The Myo Method. She is a feeding specialist, trained through Feed the Peds. She has taken advanced trainings through TalkTools on TOT’s in the 0-3 population, as well as trainings through My Munch Bug with Melanie Potock. She is currently pursuing Isla-Grace Baby-Led Sleep & Wellbeing Coaching program, as well as the Buteyko Method for breathing re-education.