Everything in the Mouth: From Pacifiers to Palates

Explore oral-motor development across the lifespan, with a focus on how early structural and functional differences influence feeding and swallowing outcomes over time. The course examines tongue-tie, tongue thrust, high palatal arches, and oral habits beginning in infancy with breastfeeding and bottle feeding, transitioning to solids, and extending into adolescence and adulthood.

Particular attention is given to how untreated oral dysfunction may contribute to persistent oral-phase inefficiencies and later pharyngeal swallowing challenges, including reduced base-of-tongue retraction or choking in adults. Participants gain insight into the long-term functional implications of early oral-motor patterns and the importance of early identification and intervention.