Myofunctional Therapy Improving Learning in the Classroom

We all have days when we wake up and know the day ahead is going to be rough as we barely drag ourselves out of bed and struggle to keep our eyes open while we do our morning routines. The day goes by and no matter how much caffeine you have, your thoughts are sluggish, your motivation is low, and you are incredibly irritable. Now picture yourself doing that day in the shoes of a 1st grader. You are given challenging assignments, have constant expectations to remember and follow as best as you can, and there is nonstop noise.

As a special education teacher, I often hear “I’m too tired for this,” “I’ll do this later,” or simply “I don’t want to do this.” My education tells me that these statements are likely rooted in the additional effort required of students with disabilities to maintain expectations that are considered simple for neurotypical students. On the other hand, it is also common for me to hear about how they stayed up way too late last night or the opposite; that they slept for over 10 hours but still feel groggy.

Here lies the most well-known but commonly avoided “hack” to help students succeed more in every subject as well as emotionally throughout the school day: get better sleep. Note that I said better instead of more sleep, as the quality of sleep is key here. While sleep often falls low on a child’s priority list, it is vital for any student, but especially those with disabilities, to utilize this tool.

The Impacts of Improved Sleep

Instead of speaking generally about the benefits of sleep, let’s take a look at what the research says about sleep and its impact on children with disabilities. Research in the Journal of Attention Disorders found that children with ADHD who received sleep interventions showed a 20% reduction in ADHD symptoms even without stimulant medication changes. A study in Scientific Reports found that children with dyslexia showed enhanced learning of new phonological patterns when training was followed by adequate sleep compared to similar training followed by wakefulness. Research in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology demonstrated that addressing sleep problems in anxious children resulted in improvements in both sleep quality and daytime anxiety symptoms (Foundations Cognitive, 2025).

A Potential Solution

As stated previously, many parents and children alike know that better sleep would improve their quality of life, but no matter what they try, going to sleep earlier, removing screens at bedtime, etc, nothing seems to help. In the past, I have struggled to give any further suggestions to families that have seemingly tried everything, but now that my sister, Rachel Intrieri, has become a myofunctional therapist, I am excited to say that, Myofunctional therapy could be the better solution! 

Myofunctional therapy targets these concerns through exercises that train muscles, correct resting posture, and improve breathing, chewing, and swallowing. Rachel has informed me of the vast benefits that Myofunctional therapy has on improving sleep quality and all the benefits her patients have experienced from their sessions and it has given me a lot of hope for my sleepy students. While each child’s experience of sleep is vastly different, everyone can benefit from improved breathing habits to improve their quality of sleep after they get to sleep.

After looking at research, my main suggestion to parents seeking advice for how to support their child at home is to ensure they have a full stomach and get a good night’s sleep as much as possible. While that may be easier said than done, myofunctional therapy can assist with habits to improve students’ sleep and, in-turn, their academic success. Many of my students walk into my classroom with a multitude of challenges that they overcome with great effort, but their lack of sleep does not need to be one of them. 

References

Foundations Cognitive. (2025, May 9). The Sleep-Learning Connection: How Sleep Disorders Impact Cognitive Function and Academic Performance. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from https://foundationscognitive.com/blog/sleep-disorders