Pretty much all babies drool at some point.
It’s not typically a cause for concern.
In fact, many pediatric therapy professionals indicate that drooling is a common occurrence amongst teething babies.
However, continued drooling into toddlerhood may indicate an underlying medical condition or disorder.
Pediatric speech therapy is an excellent intervention method for children dealing with drooling due to an underlying medical condition or disorder.
A speech therapist can help provide solutions for some of the excessive drooling related complications.
Your child’s speech therapist can provide solutions ranging from feeding and behavioral interventions, to treatment for orofacial myofunctional disorders.
Keep reading to hear more about some of the conditions and disorders that may cause excess drooling in children, and how our Washington DC speech pathologists can help.
When Should Your Child Outgrow Drooling?
Every child is different and will outgrow drooling at different rates.
However, we typically expect that a child will outgrow drooling by 2 years of age, when teething ends.
RELATED ARTICLE: How Do Your Teeth Affect Speech?
By the time your child finishes teething, their saliva production begins to slow down, thereby reducing excessive and uncontrollable drooling.
What Causes Excess Drooling?
There are several potential causes for excess drooling in children, including pediatric dysphagia, other feeding and swallowing disorders, and orofacial myofunctional disorders.
Let’s take a closer look.
1. Pediatric Dysphagia
Pediatric dysphagia is a condition which causes trouble swallowing.
RELATED ARTICLE: Getting Familiar With Speech Disorders: Adult Dysphagia
Children with pediatric dysphagia have trouble moving food and liquid from their mouth into their stomach.
If your child has pediatric dysphagia, you may notice the following symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Back arching while eating
- Inability to eat large amounts of food
- Pocketing food (holding food in mouth without swallowing)
- Breathing difficulties while eating
- Aversion to certain food textures
- Choking and coughing when swallowing
- Taking over 30 minutes to eat
- Crying during meal times
- Difficulty chewing
- Noisy or wet vocalizations when eating
- Food or liquid escaping from the mouth when eating
- Gagging
- Drooling
- Congestion, especially after meals
Brain damage is a major cause of pediatric dysphagia.
A 2018 study by Büyükşireci et al. found that some people with brain damage experience persistent dysphagia symptoms.
For instance, many children develop this condition following a traumatic brain injury.
RELATED: Physical Therapy And Speech Therapy Treatments For Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury
Additionally, certain congenital conditions can cause pediatric dysphagia.
Examples include:
- Developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder
- Structural abnormalities, such as cleft lip or palate
- Muscle tone variations
- Low birth weight
- Genetic syndromes, such as Down syndrome
If your child is living with a speech disorder such as pediatric dysphagia, a speech therapist can help provide solutions for feeding and drinking issues, as well as help to minimize the risk of future complications.
Speech therapy for pediatric dysphagia may include a variety of techniques, including:
- Feeding strategies, such as moderating the rate of feeding
- Oral motor treatments, such as stimulation of the lips, tongue, jaw, soft palate, pharynx, larynx, and respiratory muscles to encourage chewing and swallowing
- Diet and feeding modifications, such as adding liquid to solid foods to make them easier to swallow
- Behavioral interventions, such as modelling correct eating
2. Feeding And Swallowing Disorders
In addition to pediatric dysphagia, other disorders may cause excess drooling in children.
Some of the conditions which may lead to a feeding and swallowing disorder in your child include:
- Stomach problems, such as acid reflux
- Nervous system problems, such as meningitis
- Heart disease
- Premature birth or low birth weight
- Head and neck injury, such as torticollis
- Asthma or similar breathing issues
If your child is living with a feeding or swallowing disorder, you may notice the following symptoms:
- Low weight, not growing at a rate appropriate to age
- Back arching while eating
- Crying or fussing while eating
- Refusing to eat or drink
- Difficulty chewing
- Congestion during meals
- Becoming horse during or after meals
- Breathy voice during or after meals
- Difficulty with breast feeding
- Coughing or gagging during meals
- Drooling
- Liquid coming out of the mouth and nose
- Spitting up
- Falling asleep at mealtime
- Trouble breathing during meals
- Showing preference to eating certain textures
- Taking a long time to finish eating
At District Speech and Language Therapy, we can help children living with feeding and swallowing disorders in a number of ways, including:
- Changing your child’s position while eating
- Encouraging them to try different foods
- Working on behavioral issues, such as food aversions
- Changing the texture or temperature of the food
- Help strengthen the muscles around your child’s mouth
- Help teach your child appropriate tongue movement for eating and swallowing
- Provide referrals to other professionals, such as a dentist or psychologist
3. Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
Orofacial myofunctional disorders are developmental disorders.
Common symptoms include abnormal movement patterns in the face and mouth.
For instance, if your child is living with an orofacial myofunctional disorder, such as tongue thrust, they may press their tongue to the roof of their mouth in order to swallow.
Orofacial myofunctional disorders can affect your child’s growth and development, as well as lead to complications such as talking, swallowing, and breathing difficulties.
If your child is living with an orofacial myofunctional disorder, you may notice the following symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing through nose
- Limited tongue movement
- Messy or difficult eating
- Overbite, underbite, or other dental problems
- Tongue pushing past the teeth
- Difficulty pronouncing certain sounds, such as words beginning with “sh”
- Drooling, especially beyond age two
- Difficulty closing lips to swallow
While there isn’t a single cause, several factors may contribute to the risk of developing orofacial myofunction disorders, such as:
- Blocked nasal passages due to tonsil size or allergies
- Any condition that causes the tongue to sit atypically in the mouth
- Sucking or chewing habits, such as thumb sucking, past age three
If your child is living with an orofacial myofunctional disorder, a speech therapist can help by:
- Encouraging proper chewing and swallowing techniques
- Practicing breathing patterns
- Teaching your child about proper movement and placement of their tongue and mouth muscles while speaking, drinking, and eating
- Teaching your child how to pronounce words more clearly
4. Other Causes
A variety of additional factors may contribute to the development of excessive drooling in children.
Some common examples include oral sensory dysfunction or poor head control.
Excessive drooling may also occur due to certain medications. Such as ones that affect appetite or cause sleepiness.
If your child is dealing with excess drooling, consider bringing them into District Speech and Language Therapy for a full evaluation.
We can help identify the cause of your child’s excessive drooling and come up with a treatment plan that targets your child’s unique needs.
Book Your Appointment With Our Speech Therapy Clinic Today
Regardless of the cause of your child’s excess drooling, we can help.
At District Speech and Language Therapy, our licensed therapists have speech therapy solutions for helping children reach their maximum potential.
Don’t wait to book an appointment; early intervention plays a crucial role in your child’s success.
Book your appointment with District Speech and Language Therapy today to get a head start on treating your child’s drooling.
