What are the signs and symptoms that my child may have weakness with their facial, mouth and neck muscles?
Some signs may include low or soft muscle tone in the face. The lips may look weak or soft without tone. Some lips may project a wider shape or project outward. Drooling or a frequent wet lip may be observed. Many children with oral facial weakness or low tone have “cute puffy cheeks”. The tongue may rest on the lips instead of the proper tongue resting position. A puffy, tired allergic look may also be a sign of oral facial weakness. Some children who have weak oral structures will struggle with food textures and choose not to eat them resulting in a limited diet and frustrated parents. Eating becomes hard work and there is no pleasure experienced from the meal. Children are not motivated to eat. Examples of difficult textures are: rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, meat, hard cookies, big pretzels or food that has more than one texture such as cereal and milk or vegetable soup. They also can be perceived as having bad table manners by having their fingers in their mouth to move food aroun
