A MOTHER'S JOURNEY WITH SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING: MYSTERY TO PASSION

Hello. I'm Claire, an occupational therapist and myofunctional therapist and the mother of a child with sleep-disordered breathing. Today, I want to share our story—from confusion and frustration to understanding and advocacy. The past two years and all we’ve learned have not only changed the course of our son's life but have also ignited a passion within me that reshaped my career into wanting to help other families navigate similar challenges.

For years, our son was a mystery to us and many specialists. He was often sick and took a long time to get better, he was irritable, shy and had daytime fatigue. He also had sensory issues, couldn’t tolerate haircuts or band-aids, as well as recurring mouth ulcers and tics.

In school, his teachers noticed he had difficulty finishing tasks, he would often have negative self-talk, and emotional outbursts. Despite seeing seven well-meaning specialists who were investigating parasites, diabetes, and pyrrole disorder. No one considered the possibility of sleep-disordered breathing and craniofacial/airway issues or looked at the entire airway, including bone structure. We were heading down the ADHD pathway.

THE TURNING POINT: DISCOVERING THE ROOT CAUSE

Our first gold nugget clue that his issues were airway-related came after adenoid and turbinate reduction surgery. He suddenly started to grow and was happier; he was less sick and could breathe better through his nose when he slept.

Another big breakthrough came almost by accident. I stumbled across a video by OT Doctor Marielly Mitchell that described a child with sleep-disordered breathing. It was such a lightbulb moment—finally, everything clicked. Our son’s struggles were because of sleep-disordered breathing and airway issues, and this is actually very common. We then started on the complex path of seeking help.

We started immunotherapy for his allergies—this is graded exposure, where tiny doses of allergens are introduced in a spray to build up tolerance. This helped him be able to breathe. Perhaps the most transformative intervention was the one less commonly known: a palate expander!

Soon, he will be out of expansion, and we can start myofunctional therapy to address the underlying muscle dysfunction (did you know the tongue should be sitting on the roof of the top palate??). These two treatments are not well-known, but they are GAME-CHANGERS; the knowledge around palate expansion and myofunctional therapy is growing, and talking to other mothers of kids who have done palate expansion and myofunctional therapy, it’s undeniable how impactful they can be for a child's health, their nervous system, immune system, and sensory system.

Many children today have high-arched, narrow palates and smaller jaws; this means reduced airway space. This often goes unnoticed until it starts manifesting into symptoms. Looking back, I wish we had caught these signs earlier for our son. With new "airway eyes," I now understand that our son’s dysregulated sensory and nervous systems were his little body's way of coping with inadequate sleep and a restricted airway.

As a parent, I encourage you to be aware of the physical and behavioral signs that might be clues that there’s a problem. Some physical signs to watch for include:

• Crowding teeth

• Shark teeth

• Gummy smiles

• Chronic mouth breathing, snoring, or tilting the head back when sleeping (even slightly)

• Restless sleep

• ADHD-like behaviors

• Sensory issues, frequent yawning, or irritability

These symptoms can easily be mistaken for other conditions.

WHY EARLY INTERVENTION MATTERS IN CHILDREN'S AIRWAY ISSUES

As an occupational therapist, I absolutely love the Children’s Airway First Foundation's "Fix Before 6" mission motto. The early years of a child’s life are crucial for development. This is the time when children consolidate learning, reach milestones, and develop the social and emotional skills they’ll rely on for the rest of their lives. If they are surviving and not thriving because of poor breathing and sleep, they miss out on these critical developmental years.

THE BROADER IMPACT OF SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING IN CHILDREN

Sleep-disordered breathing doesn't just affect sleep; it impacts many body systems. Emerging research highlights the connections between airway health and overall well-being. This is a public health issue that needs more attention. It’s fascinating to consider how our bodies have evolved over the last 1,000 years—our faces are becoming longer and narrower, affecting our airway space and nasal passages.

Dr. Steven Lin, a leader in the airway field, states, “Kids today are 3-4 generations deep into a health condition that’s accelerating.” This evolutionary change, sadly, is not good for our health.

As a therapist and a mother, I look back on videos of our son before 5 and feel a deep responsibility to raise awareness about sleep-disordered breathing. The link between increasing allergies, asthma, and ADHD in kids and our changing facial structures is hard to deny, and it deserves more attention from both parents and healthcare providers.

BENEFITS WE EXPERIENCED

The changes we’ve seen in our son since addressing his airway issues have been remarkable!

• His immune system has improved dramatically; he used to require Prednisone every few months for asthma but hasn’t needed it in 15 months since palate expansion started!

• His colds are now much shorter.

• He’s doing well at school; he's not irritable, he sings and plays, he can sit down much longer, and he can also have haircuts; in fact, all of his sensory issues have been resolved.

• His tics have reduced significantly, hardly noticeable now, I see a link between them worsening when he has a cold or a virus.

• He doesn’t hyperextend his neck when asleep, no snoring or bed-wetting, and much less daytime yawning.

Although we still have a little way to go on our journey, there’s no denying it...he’s a happier and healthier kid.

HELPING A CHILD WITH SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING

If you’re a parent and you have that gut feeling that something’s not quite right, I strongly encourage you to seek out a myofunctional therapist or an airway-focused orthodontist/dentist. Children’s Airway First can help guide you.

With knowledge, we can help our children breathe easier, sleep better, and lead healthier, happier lives.