Understanding the Connection Between Breathing, Feeding, and Speech: Word from a Speech Therapist

If your child struggles with speech, picky eating, or mouth breathing—these might seem like separate issues. But here's the secret: they’re all connected. Breathing, feeding, and speech all rely on the same muscles and structures of the mouth, jaw, lips, and tongue. So it’s no surprise that when one area is affected, the others are often impacted as well.

The Importance of Nasal Breathing

Breathing is our body’s most basic and vital function—delivering the oxygen we need to survive. Healthy breathing patterns play a critical role in brain function, attention, sleep quality, energy levels, speech, and feeding/swallowing. Needless to say, when your child's breathing is disrupted, it can affect their overall development and quality of life.

Healthy breathing and proper oral resting posture go hand in hand—and both are essential for your child’s growth and development. When a child is breathing properly through their nose, their lips are gently closed, the teeth are slightly apart, and the tongue rests naturally on the hard palate (roof of the mouth). This positioning supports healthy development of the palate and facial structure.

Children who chronically mouth breathe often sit with an open mouth posture, which causes the tongue to rest low and forward in the mouth instead of on the roof. Over time, this can lead to a high, narrow palate, reduced space for the teeth, and may result in dental crowding, open bites, or misalignment. As a parent or caregiver, there are common signs you can look for in kids who have an open mouth posture:

Common Signs to Look For

• Mouth hanging open at rest

• Tongue resting on the floor of the mouth

• Snoring or noisy breathing during sleep

• Long facial appearance

The Connection Between Breathing, Speech, and Feeding

When a child has an open mouth posture, the jaw, lips, and tongue are not actively engaged, which can lead to decreased strength and muscle tone over time. This can affect their oral motor skills—the strength, coordination, and control of the muscles in the mouth. These skills are essential for everyday functions like feeding and speech. As a result, parents and caregivers may notice the following feeding challenges linked to poor oral motor function:

Signs of Poor Oral Motor Function During Feeding

• Drooling

• Messy eating

• Difficulty using straws and cups

• Gagging

• Difficulty chewing

• Picky eating

• Avoiding certain textures (e.g., chewy, crunchy)

• Fatigue during mealtime

Speech relies on precise control of both breath and the articulators—namely the jaw, lips, and tongue. When these structures are strong, well-coordinated, and working in harmony, children are better able to produce clear, understandable speech. However, if even one of these areas isn’t functioning as it should, it can lead to speech sound errors and make speech harder to understand. Parents and caregivers can watch for the following speech-related concerns that may stem from poor oral motor function:

Signs of Poor Oral Motor Function During Speech

• Slurred or mumbled speech: Speech sounds may blend together or sound unclear due to weak muscle control.

• Drooling during speech: Difficulty managing saliva while talking can indicate low oral muscle tone or poor lip control.

• Distorted sounds: Sounds like /s/, /z/, /l/, /r/, /sh/, or /ch/ may be imprecise or “slushy” due to poor tongue coordination.

• Groping movements: Visible effort or searching movements of the lips, tongue, or jaw while trying to form words can signal motor speech difficulties.

• Jaw instability: Excessive jaw movement or “jaw sliding” during speech may be a compensation for weak tongue or lip muscles.

• Speech that worsens with fatigue: As the oral muscles tire, speech clarity may decrease—this is especially common in kids with low tone.

How a Speech Therapist Can Help

A speech therapist may be the first to notice any difficulties with your child's breathing, feeding, and speech skills. Here are some ways a speech therapist can help:

1. Assessment of muscle function

   • The speech therapist evaluates the strength, tone, and coordination of the jaw, lips, and tongue.

   • They identify habits or patterns (e.g., mouth breathing, tongue thrust) that interfere with optimal posture.

2. Breathing and awareness training

   • Many children are unaware of their mouth position. Therapists help build awareness of resting posture throughout the day.

   • Breathing techniques and nasal hygiene may also be incorporated to support closed-mouth breathing.

3. Elimination of habits

   • If a child has habits like thumb sucking, pacifier use, or open-mouth posture during sleep, the therapist works on habit elimination and replacement strategies.

4. Oral-motor activities/Myofunctional therapy

   • The speech therapist will use targeted, play-based or functional activities to improve function of the articulators.

   • Myofunctional therapy is a specialized approach that addressed tongue posture, swallowing patterns, and muscle coordination for long-term success.

5. Collaboration with other providers

   • If structural concerns are present (e.g., tongue tie, high palate, enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids), the speech therapist may collaborate with a dentist, orthodontist, or ENT for a full-team approach.

Breathing, feeding, and speech may seem like separate skills, but they are deeply connected. All three rely on the same muscles, structures, and patterns working together in harmony. When one or more of these structures are not functioning properly, it can affect a child’s ability to eat safely, speak clearly, and breathe efficiently.

Early identification and intervention can make a significant difference. A team approach—including speech-language pathologists, pediatricians, dentists, and other specialists—can help support your child’s development and improve their overall quality of life.

Supporting Families in Burbank and Beyond

Speech Evolution Therapy is based in Burbank, serving children and families throughout the local area. We work with families from Alhambra, Bel Air, Beverly Grove, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Century City, Encino, Glendale, Malibu, Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, and Sherman Oaks.

We also offer tele-therapy, providing the same personalized care in a virtual setting for families who prefer remote sessions.

Questions? Contact us at 808-358-2026 or visit our website at www.speechevotherapy.com to schedule a consultation.