How Myofunctional Therapy and Stuttering are Related

When we think about stuttering, we often picture it as purely a “speech” issue — something related to how words come out or how smoothly someone speaks. But speech is actually a full-body process involving breathing, muscle coordination, and timing. That’s where myofunctional therapy can play a surprising — and often overlooked — role.

What Is Stuttering, Really?

Stuttering is a fluency disorder that causes interruptions in the flow of speech — repetitions, blocks, or prolongations of sounds. For many people, stuttering isn’t just about words “getting stuck.” It can be influenced by how the body manages airflow, muscle tension, and coordination during speech.

This is where the connection to orofacial (mouth and facial) function becomes important.

How Oral Function Affects Fluency

Speech requires precise coordination between breathing, tongue movement, and jaw stability. If any part of this system is inefficient, it can create extra effort or tension when speaking.

Some children and adults who stutter also present with:

• Mouth breathing or shallow breathing patterns, which reduce steady airflow for speech.

• Jaw or tongue tension, often linked to restricted oral mobility (such as a tongue-tie).

• Poor oral rest posture, where the tongue sits low in the mouth and the jaw and neck muscles overcompensate during speech.

• Discoordination between tongue and lips, making transitions between sounds more effortful.

When the body is working harder to produce speech sounds, that increased muscle tension can make fluency even more difficult to maintain.

How Myofunctional Therapy Helps

Myofunctional therapy doesn’t replace traditional stuttering therapy — but it can be a powerful complement. By addressing the physical foundation for speech, it helps reduce the tension and instability that may contribute to stuttering behaviors.

Therapy may include:

• Breathing retraining to support relaxed, nasal breathing and efficient airflow.

• Tongue and jaw coordination exercises to reduce compensatory tension.

• Improving oral rest posture so the tongue and lips are in a balanced position between speech.

• Awareness and relaxation strategies for oral muscles to support smoother movement during speech tasks.

Over time, this work can help a person feel more control over their speech mechanism — reducing effort, tension, and overall struggle when speaking.

The Whole-Person Approach

Stuttering is complex and influenced by many factors: neurological, emotional, and physical. Addressing the myofunctional component doesn’t “cure” stuttering, but it can remove one layer of physical strain, making speech therapy more effective and comfortable.

For children and adults who stutter and also show signs of oral tension, mouth breathing, or restricted tongue movement, a collaborative approach between a speech-language pathologist and a myofunctional therapist can lead to powerful outcomes.

In Short

Fluency isn’t just about words — it’s about how the whole system works together to produce speech.
By improving breathing patterns, tongue mobility, and oral coordination, myofunctional therapy helps create the stability and balance needed for smoother, easier communication.