Phoenix speech therapist spotlights myofunctional therapy for children

By AI, Created 3:51 PM UTC, May 27, 2026, /AGP/ – Julie Mercadante, founder of Juniper Speech Therapy, appeared on the Phoenix Business Brief Podcast to explain how breathing, tongue posture and oral function can affect speech development. She also pointed Arizona families to therapy options, including in-person, virtual and ESA-supported services.

Why it matters: - Myofunctional therapy is drawing more attention from Arizona parents looking for answers when traditional speech therapy does not fully resolve a child’s speech problems. - Early signs such as mouth breathing, snoring, drooling and restless sleep can point to oral function issues that may affect speech, eating and breathing. - Juniper Speech Therapy serves families across Arizona, including Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account families seeking services outside school settings.

What happened: - Phoenix speech therapist Julie Mercadante, founder of Juniper Speech Therapy, discussed myofunctional therapy on the Phoenix Business Brief Podcast. - Mercadante said she has worked as a speech-language pathologist for about 25 years and founded Juniper Speech Therapy nearly six years ago. - The podcast episode focused on how tongue posture, breathing habits and oral function can influence childhood speech development. - Juniper Speech Therapy offers speech therapy and myofunctional therapy through in-person and virtual appointments. - The full episode is available here. - Parents can learn more about Juniper Speech Therapy at the practice website.

The details: - Mercadante described myofunctional therapy as a way to look beyond speech sound production and examine how the tongue functions, including resting posture, breathing and swallowing patterns. - She said the approach looks at how a child breathes, eats and sleeps because those habits can affect speech. - The therapy targets oral muscle patterns that can affect speech clarity and efficiency. - The approach focuses on retraining tongue placement, lip seal, jaw stability and nasal breathing. - The goal is to strengthen and coordinate the oral structures that support clear articulation, effective swallowing and overall oral function. - Mercadante said many parents first seek help after a child struggles for years with traditional speech therapy. - She said traditional speech therapy often focuses on sound production, while myofunctional therapy addresses underlying causes such as tongue posture and breathing habits. - Mercadante said awareness of myofunctional therapy has grown in recent years, helped by online information and parent communities. - She said parents should watch for mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep, picky eating, drooling and persistent speech errors. - Mercadante said she strongly supports early intervention and learning the importance of nasal breathing. - She said she often sees children after parents wish they had come in sooner. - Mercadante said Juniper Speech Therapy works with Arizona ESA families throughout the Greater Phoenix metro area.

Between the lines: - The conversation reflects a broader shift in how some families think about speech services, moving from sound correction alone to the body mechanics that may sit underneath speech problems. - The growing parent interest Mercadante described suggests social media and peer networks are influencing how families identify and seek treatment. - The emphasis on early intervention signals that waiting can make therapy more difficult, even if Mercadante did not quantify outcomes.

What’s next: - Families interested in Juniper Speech Therapy can pursue in-person or virtual care across Arizona. - Parents seeing possible oral function or breathing concerns may be more likely to seek evaluation earlier rather than waiting for speech issues to persist. - Juniper Speech Therapy will likely continue serving Greater Phoenix families using both private-pay and ESA-supported therapy paths.

The bottom line: - Mercadante is using a local podcast appearance to push a simple message: speech therapy may need to address breathing and oral function, not just pronunciation.