Tongue issues can just be the tip of the iceberg.
A five-year-old presented with tongue problems. He drooled a lot and was a mouth breather.
He was also nonverbal and had low muscle tone. He was a lazy walker and had motor delays. He could not easily go up and down stairs.
He presented with a zero-second brain cycle and had severe fascial restrictions in his head and neck. His throat and oral areas were especially tight.
His mother said he had been seeing a local pediatric dentist. There was no mention to her that he had an open bite, a tongue thrust, and needed myofunctional and orthodontic therapy, literally yesterday.
An open bite occurs when the child occludes her or his back teeth and the front teeth are not touching. When she or he swallows, instead of the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth, it acts as a forward force to splay the teeth and open the bite.
I have seen many orthodontists incredulously miss this phenomenon and just straighten the teeth. Six months later, the open bite reappears because the root cause of the problem was never identified and treated.
I told mom that he needed a heavy dose of myofunctional therapy and orthodontic care with brain motion, airway, and fascial strain in mind. All of my patients see Dr. Joanna Walska in Newtown, Pennsylvania, since conventional orthodontics with palatal expanders, braces, and retainers can easily undo my work with the health gains lost.
He responded very well to my first session of therapy, with his brain cycle ending at 160 seconds. He needed a team approach where his tongue was now the center of his universe.
I wondered if he was nonverbal because he had so much throat fascial strain, his tongue was out of control, and he had a very tight head, affecting his neurophysiology. His parents and I felt that he wanted to talk but was just unable to physically do that.
I believe that if he had been checked and treated at birth, we would be seeing a different child now. Gillespie Approach Training is a must for all newborn providers.
The Mother Speaks
“If you’re a fellow a*ti*m parent, you already know this journey can feel like a full-time job. The endless research, the therapies, the appointments, the constant wondering if you’re doing enough—it’s exhausting and overwhelming. We’ve been there, and, for a long time, we felt completely stuck.
“From the moment our son was born, we knew something was different. He struggled to feed, and as he grew, he struggled to speak. By the time he was five, he was mostly nonspeaking.
“We saw dentist after dentist, therapist after therapist, hoping someone would really see him—really hear us. But despite his open-mouth posture and constant drooling, no one raised concerns. We kept being told to ‘wait and see.’ Deep down, though, we knew there had to be more than surface-level, checkbox care.
“I started calling what we experienced, ‘hello care.’ It’s when providers greet you warmly, check the boxes, and send you on your way—but no one actually gets to the root of what’s going on with your child. It’s defeating.
“Everything changed when we found Dr. Gillespie‘s protocol mentioned in a Instagram post. What we saw being practiced, by a therapist who trained in the Method, was something we knew we needed to pursue for our son.
“For the first time, someone truly looked beyond the symptoms. Dr. Gillespie assessed him with a level of care, patience, and dedication we had never experienced before.
“He explained what was happening inside his body and why he was struggling—not in complicated medical jargon but in a way we could finally understand. For the first time, we felt seen, heard, and hopeful.
“Even more importantly, he gave us a plan. Not a one-size-fits-all checklist, but a personalized path forward. He recommended additional therapies and introduced us to an airway orthodontist to build a true team of care around him. Finally, we had experts working with us, not just treating symptoms but supporting him as a whole person.
“The results were almost immediate. For the first time in a long time, our son was unstuck. We began to see real changes—not just in his body, but in his quality of life.
“His coordination as he walks and runs has improved in the weeks following his therapy. We are also seeing better focus. For the first time, we have hope that things can truly get better.
“To any parent who feels overwhelmed, unheard, or lost: I want you to know there is hope. You are your child’s biggest advocate.
“Keep trusting your gut. Keep searching for the providers who will dig deeper and fight for your child the way you do. Dr. Gillespie changed everything for us—and his protocol might change everything for you, too.”
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