Season 2: STORIES FROM THE FIELD; Episode 3: ADELAIDE

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...A speech language pathologist with "Darth Vader" breathing during sleep...

...a close encounter with a living legend...

...and a rabbit hole into a complexity that could not be unseen...

...and what about the MONSTER called "Daniel?"

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Join Dave and Ellen as they welcome Speech Language Pathologist, Myofunctional Therapy expert, and author of the book Sleep Wrecked Kids, Sharon Moore, as she shares her personal true story of transformation and EMPOWERMENT.

Featured Cartoon: CAT Scan

CARTOON SHOWCASE

Sometimes, it’s sensible to ask questions.

More information on special guest Sharon Moore:
Sharon Moore is a Speech Pathologist with 4 decades of clinical experience across a wide range of disorders of function in the upper airway. She has worked in clinical settings in Australia and London. Currently, she runs a Private Practice in Canberra, managing medical and dental specialist referrals for patients of all ages and is a member of the Transdisciplinary team for the Canberra Sleep Clinic. Orofacial Myofunctional principles are fully integrated into diagnosis, assessment and treatment of atypical or dysfunctional: breathing, swallowing, chewing, phonation, speech & breathing during sleep.   

Sharon Moore

Author, Educator, Myofunctional Therapist

Sharon has a special interest in early identification of craniofacial and function & growth anomalies in non-syndromic children that influence airway patency during the day and during sleep. Recently, acknowledgement of the role of upper airway muscle function in management of sleep breathing disorders, hails a new era of relevance for work in the upper airway, and affirmation of her chosen clinical direction. With significant health morbidities of sleep disorders in all ages now widely known, Sharon believes there has never been a more important time for medical, dental and allied health professionals to work as a team to resolve airway breathing issues in early childhood. She is author of the book 'Sleep Wrecked Kids: Raising happy healthy children one sleep at a time'. 

www.SleepWreckedKids.com
www.wellspoken.com.au

Sharon Moore’s RECOMMENDED READING

We asked Sharon to share with us some of her favorite references that she’s found in her journey of discovery. If you’re looking to dig deeper into these subjects, please enjoy the following papers…

Zaffanello, Marco & Piacentini, Giorgio. (2023). Unveiling the Hidden Connection between Allergies and Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Children and Its Impact on Health. Children. 10. 1143. 10.3390/children10071143.

'Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and allergies in children are increasingly relevant health issues that require attention. SDB encompasses various conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), snoring, and mouth breathing, all of which impede normal airflow during sleep.

D´Elia C, Gozal D,Bruni O Goundouris E, Cruz M, Miguel 2021/11/29 Allergic Rhinitis an d Sleep Disorders in Children - Coexistence and Reciprocal Interactions j.jped.2021.11.010 

• 'identifying and treating rhinitis in clinical practice have been pointed out as an important step toward improving the symptoms and preventing sleep quality deterioration in children with SDB/OSA before and after undergoing AT.'

Wang Q, Guo Y, Wu X, Pan Z, Pan S, Xu S, Zhou Q, Qian J, Li L. Effect of allergic rhinitis on sleep in children and the risk factors of an indoor environment. Sleep Breath. 2022 Jan 17. doi: 10.1007/s11325-021-02546-

• 'Children with AR are more likely to have abnormal sleep behaviors than those without, including snoring, mouth breathing, restless sleep, sleep talking, and hyperhidrosis.' 

Gozal D, Tan HL, Kheirandish-Gozal L. Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children: Handling the Unknown with Precision. J Clin Med. 2020 Mar 24;9(3):888. doi: 10.3390/jcm9030888. PMID: 32213932; PMCID: PMC7141493.

• 'urgent need for prospective evidence that will readily identify the correct candidate for a specific intervention, and thus enable some degree of scientifically based precision in the current one approach fits all model of pediatric OSA medical care.'

Isaiah, A., Ernst, T., Cloak, C.C. et al. Associations between frontal lobe structure, parent-reported obstructive sleep disordered breathing and childhood behavior in the ABCD dataset. Nat Commun 12, 2205 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22534-0Isaiah, 

• 'It's not just about OSA.  Children who regularly snore have structural changes in their brain that may account for the behavioral problems associated including lack of focus, hyperactivity, and learning difficulties at school. 

Thomas S, Patel S, Gummalla P, Tablizo MA, Kier C. You Cannot Hit Snooze on OSA: Sequelae of Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Children (Basel). 2022 Feb 15;9(2):261. doi: 10.3390/children9020261. PMID: 35204981; PMCID: PMC8870274.

• 'The physiological effects of pediatric OSA eventually become pathological. As the complex effects of pediatric OSA are discovered, they must be identified early so that healthcare providers can be better equipped to treat and even prevent them. Ultimately, adequate management of OSA improves overall quality of life.'

Bonuck K, Freeman K, Chervin RD, Xu L. Sleep-disordered breathing in a population-based cohort: behavioral outcomes at 4 and 7 years. Pediatrics. 2012 Apr;129(4):e857-65. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-1402. Epub 2012 Mar 5. PMID: 22392181; PMCID: PMC3313633.

• 'A  landmark study of 11,000 children Bonuck et al, in 2012 showed that behavioural difficulties at age seven were linked to having had sleep breathing problems prior to five years of age. '

2020  COCHRANE REVIEW  Compared to sham therapy, myofunctional therapy probably reduces daytime sleepiness and may increase sleep quality in the short term

https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013449.pub2/full

 Carrasco-Llatas M, O'Connor-Reina C, Calvo-Henríquez C. The Role of Myofunctional Therapy in Treating Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A State-of-the-Art Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 8;18(14):7291. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147291. PMID: 34299742; PMCID: PMC8306407.

'Myofunctional therapy (MFT) may have a role in improving muscle tone and alleviating upper airway collapse in sleep-disordered breathing. ....knowledge gaps, the available evidence suggests that MFT is a safe treatment modality. '

Shan HQ, Wang YH, Yu LM, Li XY, Liu YH. [Orofacial myofunctional therapy improves facial morphology of children with obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy]. Shanghai Kou Qiang Yi Xue. 2021 Aug;30(4):389-393. Chinese. PMID: 34693432.

'Orofacial myofunctional therapy can be considered as an effective complementary treatment for OSA patients with oral breathing after adenotonsillectomy'

Liu Y, Zhou JR, Xie SQ, Yang X, Chen JL. The Effects of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy on Children with OSAHS’s Craniomaxillofacial Growth: A Systematic Review. Children (Basel). 2023 Mar 31;10(4):670. doi: 10.3390/children10040670. PMCID: PMC10136844.

' The function or morphology of a kid’s craniofacial surface can be improved with OMT, and as the duration of the intervention lengthens and compliance rises, the impact becomes more pronounced. (693 infants).'

Bokov P, Dahan J, Boujemla I, Dudoignon B, André CV, Bennaceur S, Teissier N, Delclaux C. Prevalence of mouth breathing, with or without nasal obstruction, in children with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Med. 2022 Oct;98:98-105. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.06.021. Epub 2022 Jun 30. PMID: 35803117.