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The OMI is established to publish monographs that demonstrate the evidence base of oral sensory and motor techniques for articulation, motor speech, and feeding treatment. Its mission is to contribute to the field of speech-language-hearing science by expanding our knowledge about the sensory and motor components of articulation, motor speech, and feeding development, disorders, assessment and treatment. Learn more...
The Oral Motor Institute was founded by Pam Marshalla, MA, CCC-SLP, and Diane Bahr, MS, CCC-SLP, CMT, CIMI, in 2007, who found that the field of speech-language-hearing sciences was in need of more information on the evidence base of oral sensory and motor techniques for articulation, motor speech, and feeding treatment.
In 2014, Pam and Diane stepped down as Co-Chairs of the Board of Directors and nominated Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP, for the position of Board Chair.
It is with a heavy heart that we announce that, in June, 2015, Pam Marshalla passed away after a long battle with leukemia. The OMI strives to honor her memory in all of our efforts. A message from our board chair, Robyn Merkel-Walsh:
Pam, my mentor and friend, left me a very important job to oversee. I want to assure all OMI subscribers that I have been working diligently over the past year months to carry on Pam's work and contributions to our field. While I will never be able to replace Pam, I am certainly going to try to make her proud! - Robyn
RECENT NEWS
♦ ASHA Convention
Board Members Robyn Merkel-Walsh, Lori Overland, and Steven Sacks were all
accepted and presented at ASHA. In addition there was a landmark number of oral
motor, feeding, Orofacial Myofunctional and airway presentations which are
listed on our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/oralmotorinstitute . Here is a synopsis
from past Board Co-Chair Diane Bahr:
Topic Area: Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
Session Number: 1759
Title: Mouth & Airway Development, Disorders, Assessment & Treatment:
Birth to Age 7
Session Format: Seminar 1-hour
Day: Saturday, November 11, 2017
Time: 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Author(s): Diane Bahr (Author who will be presenting at the session), Kristie
Gatto (Author who will be presenting at the session)
Topic Area: Interprofessional Education and Practice
Session Number: 1018
Title: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Pediatric Sleep-Disordered Breathing:
SLP, ENT & Dental Professional "Airway" Team
Session Format: Seminar 2-hours
Day: Thursday, November 9, 2017
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Author(s): Nicole Archambault Besson (Author who will be presenting at the
session), Soroush Zaghi (Author who will be presenting at the session), Hila
Robbins (Author who will be presenting at the session)
Topic Area: Academic and Clinical Education
Session Number: 7301 Poster Board 137
Title: A Big Picture Focus: The Basis for Future SLPs to Screen for Airway
Function Disorders
Session Format: Poster
Day: Friday, November 10, 2017
Time: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Author: Nicole Archambault Besson (Author who will be presenting at the
session)
Topic Area: Literacy Assessment and Intervention
Session Number: 8777 Poster Board 588
Title: Emotions & Executive Functions: Integrating the Limbic System &
the Prefrontal Cortex in Myofunctional Therapy
Session Format: Poster
Day: Friday, November 10, 2017
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Author: Nicole Archambault Besson (Author who will be presenting at the
session)
Topic Area: Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
Session Number: 8281 Poster Board 596
Title: Treating Oromyofunctional Disorders: A Survey of the Field for
SLPs
Session Format: Poster
Day: Thursday, November 9, 2017
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Author: Linda D'Onofrio
Topic Area: Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
Session Number: 1381
Title: Differential Diagnosis of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder from Oral
Stage Dysphagia
Session Format: Seminar 1-hour
Day: Friday, November 10, 2017
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Author: Linda D'Onofrio
Topic Area: Academic and Clinical Education
Session Number: 7609 Poster Board 135
Title: Oromyofunctional Disorders & Therapy as a Basic Part of Speech
Pathology Graduate Programs
Session Format: Poster
Day: Saturday, November 11, 2017
Time: 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Author: Linda D'Onofrio
Topic Area: Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
Session Number: 9292 Poster Board 584
Title: Functional Assessment of Feeding Challenges in Children with
Ankyloglossia
Session Format: Poster
Day: Saturday, November 11, 2017
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Authors: Robyn Merkel-Walsh (Author, but will NOT be presenting at the
session), Lori Overland (Author who will be presenting at the session)
♦ Diet-Shaping for Self-Limited Diets in Children with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
6 February 2017
Robyn Merkel-Walsh and Lori Overland, Board Chair and member, have recently represented at the ASHA Convention on Diet-Shaping for Self-Limited Diets in Children with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. This course discussed complex feeding problems and self-limited diets in autism, and the process of diet-shaping. You can view this presentation compliments of the TalkTools website: http://blog.talktools.com/2016/diet-shaping/
Our OMI Facebook page is doing quite well. Some of our posts have been shared with over 1500 viewers! Please like our page at: http://facebook.com/oralmotorinstitute
♦ Tethering of Oral Tissues (TOTS)
Recent studies have been presented on Tethering of Oral Tissues (TOTS). A poster session at ASHA showed a correlation between frenectomy and speech sound production. The authors were: Ashley Meaux, PhD, CCC-SLP, Meghan Savage, PhD, CCC-SLP, & Courtney Gonsoulin, MA, CCC-SLP and their poster can be found at: http://blog.talktools.com/2016/tongue-ties. The second study of interest is Bobby A. Ghaheri, MD; Melissa Cole, IBCLC; Sarah C. Fausel, BA; Maria Chuop, BS; Jess C. Mace, MPH, CCRP. It discusses the improvement of breastfeeding post frenectomy and can be found at: http://blog.talktools.com/2016/breastfeeding-improvement/.
♦ Courses and Products
The TOTs topic continues to emerge. Board Chair Robyn Merkel-Walsh and Board Member Lori Overland have just published a new text found on the Talk Tools site, and launched a complimentary course as well, and can be found at: https://talktools.com/collections/books-manuals/products/functional-assessment-and-remediation-of-tots?variant=5107740049436 and https://talktools.com/pages/functional-assessment-of-remediation-of-tethered-oral-tissues-tots.
Former Co-Chair Diane Bahr is also penning a new text and we cannot wait to read it. Follow Diane at: http://www.agesandstages.net/index.php.
Pat Zimmerman Pine has created an excellent reference source for TOTs as well: https://musclesinharmony.com.
UPCOMING CONVENTIONS & WORKSHOPS
♦ See upcoming conventions and workshops here and at http://www.icapprofessionals.com/events.html.
LATEST MONOGRAPH
♦ Self-Limited Diets in Children with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders
by Robyn Merkel-Walsh and Lori L. Overland | Janaury 2016 | v54 n.1
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