Help Me Speak, LLC

Help Me Speak, LLC Oromyofunctional, Communication, & Learning Skills
Improving BESST skills for all clients
(Breathing, Eating, Swallowing, Sleep, & Talking)

Our SLPs are trained in the latest and most effective evaluation & therapy techniques, such as: *PROMPT*, *Orofacial Myology*, Talk Tools, *Complete Speech--SmartPalate*, Beckman stretches, Kaufman techniques, *Help Me Eat* (Food Chaining, SOS Approach to Feeding, AEIOU), Interactive Metronome, REI, Sign language, *iPad apps* for therapy, & more. We treat clients with a variety of genetic diagnose

s, Tongue Tie, oral swallowing difficulty, Autism, Apraxia, Down syndrome, dyslexia, language learning difficulties, tongue thrust, articulation errors, hearing impairment, & others.

04/20/2026

Parents POV: That excited feeling 🎉
when your child’s speech
is FINALLY understood
by friends and extended family! 🥳
How does this happen?

Consistent practicing 5-10 minutes per day ⏱️
of specific home exercises 📆
selected for your child 👧🏽🧒🏻
by me, a Speech-Language Pathologist 🗣️
with 35 yrs of specialized experience
in the jaw, tongue, lips, breathing, 👅👄🫁
swallowing, and speech clarity.

THIS is what the parents in our
BESST (Breathing, Eating, Swallowing, Sleeping & Talking)
Life Club are experiencing. 🤩

Comment BESST for a DM with more information.

04/20/2026

Why do I NOT recommend a tongue tie release BEFORE an oral motor/ oral swallowing evaluation?�
What should happen PRIOR to a tongue tie release?:
💙 Evaluation the tongue tie structure by a specialized SLP
💛 Assessment of the tongue’s FUNCTION
❤️ Acceptance of touch on the face & inside the mouth
💚 Maximize the function of the tongue before consideration
💙 Pre-release exercises to train the tongue muscles in ROM
💛 Ability to fully suction to the roof of the mouth (palate)
❤️ Coordination between SLP & release provider
(DDS, ENT, oral surgeon)
💚 Determine IF there is enough room for the tongue on the roof
💙 Determine if a release is needed

A tongue tie release is a part of the puzzle but isn’t a “magic” fix.
Treatment should occur before & after a release for maximum progress.

Comment your questions about a tongue tie release.

04/18/2026

Parents! Mouth breathing 👄 is NEVER normal!
(FYI: Even slightly open or intermittently open lips)
Common? Yes. Normal? No!

What is normal?
💙 Nasal breathing
💚 Lips closed
💛 Teeth gently closed
❤️ Tongue resting fully on the palate (roof of the mouth)

Why is this important?
The tongue resting fully on the palate widens it.
The roof of the mouth is the floor of the nose.
Wide palate = Improved nasal breathing
Improved nasal breathing = Improved overall health

Nasal Breathing is the foundation (the ground) under the house (oral motor skills—jaw, tongue & lips).

What is your child’s mouth doing when they are:
🪑 Sitting quietly?
🧸 Playing with toys?
🚙 Riding in the car?
😴 Sleeping?
✍🏻 Comment below what you notice your child’s mouth is doing.

What causes mouth breathing?
So many factors!
Save this post, Follow along, & come back for the next part of this Series on Mouth Breathing.

04/16/2026

If your child struggles with words like run, girl, or bird,
the issue is tongue stability and coordination,
not a lack of effort.

Comment READY if your child is struggling with R sounds and we’ll DM you more info.

04/15/2026

Repeating words over and over is frustrating
for both you and your child,
especially.....when nothing changes. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Here is the part most people miss:
Speech clarity is NOT usually a “practice words more” problem.

When the jaw, lips, and tongue are not working
with enough stability, control, coordination, and independence,
simply asking a child to “say it again” will not fix the issue.
That is why I look BEYOND words alone.

I’m Barbara Taylor, an SLP with 35 years of experience
specializing in oromyofunctional disorders,
helping identify how the muscles of the face and mouth (oral motor skills)
affect speech, chewing, swallowing, eating, breathing & sleeping.

When imitation is not working, it is time to look at FUNCTION first. 🤩

Tell me in the comments:
What is your child struggling with most when it comes to speech?

04/14/2026

Meanwhile, the child is still struggling with chewing, eating,
breathing, sleeping, speech clarity, or mouth movements.

A quick look at structure alone is NOT enough to diagnose a tongue tie.

No licensed professional should diagnose a tongue tie based
ONLY on appearance in person or in a picture.

A tongue tie evaluation must include FUNCTION:
💚How is the tongue moving during chewing, swallowing, & talking?
💛Where is the tongue resting when not talking, eating, or drinking?
💙Can the tip lift to the spot behind the upper front teeth?
❤️Can it coordinate well during speech, chewing, & swallowing?
🌟Is it’s FUNCTION affecting breathing, eating, chewing, swallowing, &/or talking?

Not every pediatrician is trained to do a full functional assessment of a tongue tie.

And “it looks fine” does NOT mean “it functions fine.”

Parents, if something still feels off, it is okay to ask more questions
and get an oral motor/ oral swallowing & speech evaluation by an SLP (like me)
who is trained in myo (the function of the muscles in the face & in the mouth).

Comment your experience below. ⬇️

04/13/2026

It’s so exciting for my clients and their families
when they can FINALLY say their R sounds clearly! 🎉

How?
When we teach the jaw, lips & tongue
how to become stable, coordinate together,
and move independently,
this challenging sound can be mastered. 🤩

A clear R sound requires:
A stable, controlled jaw 💪🏻
Slight lip protrusion & tension 👄
Stability, tension, retraction in
& independent movement of the tongue 👅

These mouth muscle skills, this sound and others is what I train parents
how to teach their children inside the BESST Life Club

Comment BESST for more info

04/12/2026

Mouth breathing is a RED Flag 🚩
for MANY more related ISSUES!
Parents, your child should be able
to breathe through their NOSE 👃🏼
with their lips closed for at least 2 minutes 🤫
without taking ANY breaths through their mouth.

Your child can’t do this? 🤔

These are the related issues:
🚨 Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
🚨 A high, narrow palate (roof of mouth)
🚨 Dark circles & lines under the eyes
🚨 Dry, cracked lips--open at least some of the time
🚨 Crowded teeth
🚨 A tongue tie

Mouth breathing can affect:
💫 Sleep
💫 Facial growth
💫 Learning
💫 Attention

Inside the BESST Life Club, I teach parents
how to spot these issues and how help their children.

Comment BESST for more information!

04/11/2026

🚨Parents: did you know that sticking out your tongue and moving it back and forth is NOT a FUNCTIONAL examination of a tongue tie? 🚨

Your child needs an SLP who specializes in oromyofunctional (myo) challenges. (like me!)
I believe a detailed evaluation of your child should include:
💚Photographs to examine the STRUCTURE of their posture, palate (roof of mouth), teeth, jaw, lips, tongue, UNDER the tongue
💙FUNCTIONAL examination of the stability, movements, control, coordination, & independent movements of the JAW, LIPS, & TONGUE
❤️A Speech evaluation in words and sentences
💛Assessment of a child’s chewing & swallowing of a variety of foods
This evaluation need to look at the WHOLE child & how a possible tongue tie affects them.

If you are curious or concerned about YOUR child’s tongue function,
Comment TONGUE TIE & we will DM a link for more information.

Also hit the follow button to learn more ways to help your child Breate, Eat, Swallow, Sleep, & Talk better. 💞

If your child is struggling with chewing, swallowing, or talking, it may not be effort but undeveloped mouth skills that...
04/10/2026

If your child is struggling with chewing, swallowing, or talking, it may not be effort but undeveloped mouth skills that need small, daily practice.

04/09/2026

Parents: Is your child’s speech clear? Can friends understand what they say? 🤔
If you answered NO, then just repeating the words isn’t going to help.😵‍💫
We have to treat the mouth muscles & improve their FUNCTION.
❤️Jaw
💛Lips
💚Tongue
All of these have to function appropriately, be stable, move independently & coordinate together
for CLEAR SPEECH.
These skills are vital!
That’s why I created a guide to help you, as a parent, to briefly examine
the BESST areas (Breathing, Eating, Swallowing, Sleeping, & Talking) in YOUR child.

Comment CHECKLIST and we will DM you the link. 💙

🚨Parents: Have you noticed your child resting with their mouth open throughout the day? 🚨Many people think this is just ...
04/08/2026

🚨Parents: Have you noticed your child resting with their mouth open throughout the day? 🚨

Many people think this is just a harmless habit,
but an open mouth position can affect more than most parents realize. 😳

When a child consistently keeps their mouth open at rest, 👄
it can change their mouth structure (narrow roof of mouth)
& create challenges with mouth function.
These changes can then affect how the lips, tongue,
and jaw work together for stability, control, coordination, & independent movements.
As a result, facial development, speech, chewing, swallowing, and sleeping are affected. 😧

Now that you, as a parent, understand the importance
of the jaw, lips & tongue,
we can help you support better mouth muscle skills
and resting mouth position at home. 🏠

Comment BESST if your child is mouth breathing & we will DM you the link.

Address

10260 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD
21042

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 6:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 6:30pm
Thursday 9am - 6:30pm

Telephone

+14104429791

Website

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Our Story

Barbara Taylor is an SLP & Certified Orofacial Myologist (COM®) & trained in CranialSacral Therapy.

Our SLPs are trained in the latest and most effective evaluation & therapy techniques, such as: level 2 PROMPT, Orofacial Myology, Myofascial release, Talk Tools, advanced Beckman stretches, Kaufman techniques, Help Me Eat (Food Chaining, SOS Approach to Feeding, AEIOU), Interactive Metronome, REI, Sign language, iPad apps for therapy, Complete Speech--SmartPalate, & more.

We treat clients with a variety of complex congenital diagnoses, Tongue Tie, oral swallowing difficulty, picky eaters, Autism, Apraxia, Down syndrome, dyslexia, language learning difficulties, tongue thrust, articulation errors, receptive/expressive language, hearing impairment, & others.