Lauren Hartsook Speech Therapy

08/01/2023

❗️Update❗️

I’m excited to announce I’ve accepted a position at North Central Kansas Medical Center in Concordia! This was not at all on my radar, but I’m so lucky to be partnering with NCK Med to provide speech services to pediatrics and adults in their rehab department.

Current and future clients will be able to transition to the hospital with me. And the GOOD NEWS is that I’ll be in network with most insurances now! 👏

If you have any questions or want to set up an evaluation, please reach out to me and I’ll help you get started.

06/02/2023

Great visual describing how a tongue tie can lead to sleep apnea. 👏

05/23/2023

Let's look a little bit deeper at orofacial myofunctional therapy or 'myo'!

05/18/2023

Happy National SLP Day! I truly love the work I do and the people I see each day. 💛

05/16/2023

05/16/2023

Kicking off National SLP Week (yes, I'm making it a thing) by introducing my new and improved website! I've included more about myofunctional therapy and tethered oral tissues so those in need can get a clearer picture of how I can help! Stay tuned for a giveaway later on this week. 🤩
www.laurenhartsookspeech.com

04/18/2023

It's Tongue Tie Tuesday once again. Hopefully you can appreciate some humor from The Office.😉

What's NOT funny is ignoring the serious and harmful compensations that can happen from an undiagnosed and untreated tongue tie and other tethered oral tissues.

I'm always more than happy to answer any questions or take a look to help you determine next steps!

04/17/2023

✨ZINGO!✨It’s one of my therapy heavy-hitters. It can be used for sooo many targets. Here we were working on grammar, negation, articulation, and oral motor (you can see the talk tools chewy tube in the background). If you’re looking for a simple, motivating game, this is it!

04/04/2023

☀️❤️☀️❤️

03/30/2023

Offering summer speech services again this year! No evaluation required with current IEP.

Does your child receive speech in school? Don't want to lose progress & gain more skills over the summer months? Sign up for summer speech therapy! No evaluation necessary with a current IEP. Flexible times offered throughout the summer to accommodate busy schedules. Message me to reserve your spot now.
(785) 262-9810

03/16/2023

Great post explaining why "use your words" doesn't really work and what to do instead.

03/13/2023

I wanted to share a list of my oral motor toy/teether recommendations!

When shopping for teethers, remember LONG. We want the baby to be able to move it around in their mouth, not take up space. This increases their tongue movement and overall oral exploration. They can also be placed on the molar surface to promote jaw strength and integrate the phasic bite reflex. The toys like the ball and rattle are great for tongue extension! These can be especially helpful for infants pre/post tongue tie release.

This list is not comprehensive, there are some great options out there.
Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AEXLK7C36SARC2JF2LJJIAJ5GFFQ

03/10/2023

The last thing you want to hear is 'orthodontic relapse' after spending lots of time and money on ortho treatment. But it does happen.

Don't blame it on not wearing the retainer, blame the tongue! 😝
Relapse can happen if we have orofacial muscle dysfunction that impacts mouth breathing and incorrect oral rest posture. Even the most compliant patients can experience relapse if their OMDs are not treated. The tongue can undo that 🤑 beautiful 🤑 smile created with braces very quickly if it's resting incorrectly.

Could this be why I am gearing up for my third set of braces (after palatal expansion is complete) at age 33? Yes, yes it is.

Here I go again, but get to the ROOT of the issue. Find out why the tongue is not in the correct resting posture. If you don't know what that is, let me know and I'll be glad to fill you in. 😁

In a perfect world, a myofunctional therapy evaluation would happen BEFORE starting braces for best results and to reduce the risk of relapse. Let's increase stable orthodontic outcomes by creating optimal function of the muscles of the mouth and face! 🤝

Oh, Happy Friday!

03/01/2023

We gotta talk… 😁
Caption: It looks adorable! In fact, it’s so normalized that there are babies made to mimic it (see reborn above) . But this is actually a dysfunctional habit. Our mouths should be closed with tongue glued to the roof of the mouth. This shapes the palate, opens the airway, calms the nervous system, pumps the digestive system, and sends you off to dream land for restorative sleep.

If your babe looks like his 👆🏼babe, let’s talk!

321 Likes, 76 Comments - Elizabeth Morel- mom & baby PT () on Instagram: "It looks adorable! In fact, it’s so normalized that there are babies made to mimic it (see rebo..."

02/27/2023

What do we notice about our child’s behavior when we look a little deeper? 👀🤔

👉🏼 Want to get to the bottom of your parenting triggers? Sign up for our parenting scripts at gozen.com/parentingprintables/

02/21/2023

This keeps coming up quite frequently in my practice. A provider tells the parent that because their child can stick their tongue out, then they probably don't have a tie. 🫠 A posterior tongue tie (which is further back and you have to physically lift the tongue to see) will not prevent the tongue from moving forward.

Because of this ONE comment, we have a whole domino effect that starts - breastfeeding relationship ends, reliance on pacifier or thumb, delayed speech, sleep disordered breathing, ADHD diagnosis, migraines, neck and back pain, orthodontic relapse, etc. You get the picture, right?

It would be really cool if professionals with no training or expertise in an area could stop giving potentially harmful advice. Refer 👏 out 👏.