Ep. 68: "Oral Sensory Motor Strategies for Children with Down Syndrome & Low Muscle Tone of the Orofacial Complex with Heather Vukelich, M.S., CCC-SLP"

⚠️𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑: NO MEDICAL OR DENTAL ADVICE. Nicole Goldfarb and Airway Answers with Nicole Goldfarb does not give medical advice. The information provided in this video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Reliance on any information provided in this video is solely at your own risk. We make no representations or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information presented. You should not use these materials to diagnose or treat any health issues, illnesses or diseases. In addition, we do not recommend or endorse any provider of health care or health-related products, items, or services. 
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📝 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲📝
✅ How can early intervention transform the lives of children with Down syndrome? 👶
✅ The episode explores oral sensory motor therapy as a vital foundation for speech clarity and safe feeding. 🍽️
✅ Discussion focuses on identifying red flags like hypotonia and "relative macroglossia," where the tongue appears large in a small oral cavity. 👅
✅ The interview highlights the success of family-centered programs using Talk Tools to build jaw stability and "wake up" oral muscles. 🧠
✅ Integration with orthodontic expansion is crucial for airway health and creating necessary tongue space. 🦷
✅ Experts emphasize that OSM work is a necessary, lower-level precursor to higher-level myofunctional therapy. ✨

𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒐𝒏 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝑻𝒖𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔! 

👉👀 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐓𝐮𝐛𝐞 (𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞): https://youtu.be/HQ3HGgdtE90

👉🎧 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨: https://airwayanswers.buzzsprout.com/2408017/follow

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ABOUT OUR GUEST: 
Heather Vukelich, MS, CCC-SLP, is an ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologist, Feeding Specialist, and certified TalkTools® Instructor with nearly two decades of experience serving infants and young children with Down syndrome and complex orofacial needs. She works from offices in Paso Robles and Danville, California, and is widely known for her practical, family-centered approach to oral sensory-motor development, feeding, breathing, and early communication. Heather trains therapists worldwide, teaches large-scale virtual parent education courses, and collaborates closely with pediatric dentists, orthodontists, ENTs, and airway specialists to support children with hypotonia, feeding challenges, and developmental delays. In this episode of Airway Answers, Heather shares the real-world strategies, therapy foundations, and clinical pearls she uses every day to support children with Down syndrome — including how to build oral motor strength, improve sensory regulation, establish safer and more efficient feeding skills, and optimize breathing and airway development from infancy through early childhood.

https://happykidstherapy.com/
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ABOUT THE HOST: 

Nicole Goldfarb, M.A. CCC, SLP- COM® is a Speech-Language Pathologist, Certified Orofacial Myologist, international speaker, and author. She has completed numerous presentations on orofacial myofunctional therapy as it relates to sleep-disordered breathing in both children and adults. She is the author of a 2023 article in Dental Sleep Practice Magazine “Why Every Dentist and Orthodontist Should Have an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist on Their Team”, and she also wrote an article for Sleep World Magazine for sleep MDs, respiratory technicians, and other sleep specialists titled “Helping to Restore Proper Rest: How orofacial myofunctional therapy can aid in the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing”. She is also the author of a two-part chapter on orofacial myofunctional therapy in a medical textbo