Tongue Posture and placement affect many different areas, including articulation of speech; Temporal Mandibular Disorder (TMD); and dysfunctional use of the muscles of the mouth and face (tongue thrust and deviated swallow). By learning, retraining, and using "At Ease" tongue position individuals often report positive results.

Why is the resting position of the tongue important? There are several reasons:

• In the English language the majority of the sounds made, are made wile the tongue is at mid-level to the top of the mouth. Research demonstrates that where the tongue rests, that is where the sound will be formed.

• When the tongue habitually rests in the bottom of the mouth, it loses its muscle tone. Thus, words are not clearly articulated. Often speech may sound "immature", "sloppy" or "impaired".

• Stress and tension of facial muscles, as well as the clenching and/or grinding of teeth aggravate TMD.

• When the muscles of the mouth and face are used in a dysfunctional manner they often lead to tongue thrust and/or deviated swallow pattern.

PARENTS: Ask your child/teen, "Where's your tongue?" Have them give you a "thumbs up" if it's at the At-Ease position or a "thumbs down", & change to "thumbs up" as they reposition their tongues.

TEACHERS: Set up a NON-verbal code that you and your student can use throughout the day. Example: Make eye contact, give a quick head nod and then have student smile when they have their tongue in the At-Ease position.