CMT Swallowing & Feeding Disorders Flashcards
6 cards from real CMT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CMT Swallowing & Feeding Disorders flashcards as text
A myofunctional therapist is evaluating an adult patient who was referred by an orthodontist. The patient demonstrates tongue protrusion between the teeth on every swallow. What is this called?
Answer: Anterior tongue thrust
Anterior tongue thrust is characterized by the tongue pushing forward between or against the upper and lower front teeth during swallowing.
Which finding during a swallowing evaluation indicates a lateral tongue thrust?
Answer: Posterior open bite or crossbite
Lateral tongue thrust, where the tongue presses sideways against the posterior teeth during swallowing, can cause or maintain a posterior open bite or crossbite.
In assessing a toddler with feeding difficulties, the myofunctional therapist notes excessive food spillage from the mouth and lip smacking. This MOST likely indicates:
Answer: Poor lip and buccal muscle tone and coordination
Food spillage and lip smacking during feeding suggest reduced labial and buccal muscle tone and coordination, which are key myofunctional targets in pediatric feeding therapy.
What is the primary risk of a myofunctional therapist treating dysphagia that involves laryngeal or pharyngeal-phase disorders without proper referral?
Answer: Working outside their scope of practice and risking patient safety
Laryngeal and pharyngeal dysphagia involves aspiration risk and falls within the scope of speech-language pathology; treating it without referral exceeds the myofunctional therapist's scope of practice.
Which of the following best describes the swallowing phase that myofunctional therapy primarily addresses?
Answer: Oral preparatory and oral phase
Myofunctional therapy primarily addresses the oral preparatory and oral phases of swallowing, where tongue, lip, and jaw muscle function determine how food is manipulated and propelled.
Why is tongue-tip elevation a foundational exercise in swallowing retraining?
Answer: It establishes the correct anterior tongue contact point needed for a somatic swallow
Tongue-tip elevation to the palatal rugae establishes the precise contact point required for a correct somatic swallow, replacing the forward thrusting pattern.