Michael Lemieux MS CCC-SLP
Michael has been providing early intervention services since 1987, speech-language therapy since 1998, oral-motor therapy since 2000, and myofunctional therapy since 2006. He is a Lead Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinical Supervision Coordinator for Skill Builders LLC. He sees children and adults individually and in small social skills groups. He has worked in the DC Metropolitan area for twelve years. He grew up in New Hampshire and Vermont in rural farm country. After attending college at George Mason University he returned to New England for many years, earning his masters degree and masters certificate. He has been practicing in the DC Metropolitan area for over twelve years. His specialty areas include oral myofunctional, feeding, and auditory processing therapies.
Skill Builders has been providing speech-language therapy and occupational therapy to families in Northern Virginia since 2005. Owner and director Cari Syron is a strong advocate for children and families. Michael joined Skill Builders in 2009.
Michael enjoys traveling with his children and granddaughter, exploring nature with his Shih Tzu and working in his extensive flower and herb gardens.
Michael earned his bachelor’s degree in Developmental Psychology from George Mason University. He worked with a variety of populations and ages in group homes, vocational training programs, skilled nursing facilities, and early intervention programs before becoming Executive Director of a group of early childhood education programs in New Hampshire and Vermont. He then attended the University of New Hampshire to earn his master’s degree in Communication Disorders and then the Antioch New England University to earn an advanced master’s Certificate in Autism. He worked as an SLP with New Hampshire and Vermont school districts for ten years, working with all grade levels, including early intervention. He coordinated the Speech Language Pathology Assistant certification program for New Hampshire, teaching courses and setting up internships.
Michael has sought advanced training within oral myofunctional therapy, speech motor planning, feeding, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems, auditory processing, social skills, and executive functions. Michael has attended a variety of advanced Oral Myofunctional trainings, including Oral Myofunctional Therapy; TOTs; TalkTools; Rosenfeld-Johnson; Beckman Oral Motor Advanced; Cleft Palate & Respiratory Disorders (Kummer); Cranio-Sacral Massage I (UpLedger); MORE (Oetter & Richter); PROMPT Bridging; DTTC (Strand); Mustagove Reflexes (Rentschler); and Treatise on the Tongue (Marshalla). Additionally, within feeding therapy, Michael has attended advanced trainings in AEIOU (Johanason); SOS Advanced (Toomey); Feeding the Whole Child (Evans-Morris); Dynamic Feeding (Gutierrez); FEAS (Solomon); and Oral Phase Swallow (Boshart).
Michael has been licensed in Virginia, Maryland, D.C., New Hampshire and Vermont.
Michael enjoys using an eclectic, integrated approach that will target a client’s specific needs. He works collaboratively with the other professionals within the Sleep and Airway Team, developing Orofacial Myofuntional Therapy plans that will assist the client in treating sleep apnea, sleep disordered breathing, tempero-mandibular joint disorder, and tethered oral tissues (tongue and/or lip ties). He prefers to think outside of the box, looking for cross-discipline solutions which will assist a client in achieving their goals as quickly as possible, while ensuring that a relapse will not occur.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is re-education and re-training of the oral and facial muscles. Therapy includes exercises to:
- Restore a normal resting posture of the jaw, tongue and lips
- Teach proper breathing, chewing and swallowing patterns
- Improve nasal respiration
- Establish dental freeway space
- Address harmful oral habits like thumb and finger sucking, nail biting, and/or tooth grinding
- Untreated Orofacial Myology Disorders (OMD) can result in:
- Improper dental eruption patterns and dental alignment
- Long term mouth breathing patterns that compromise overall healthy breathing
- Slowing down orthodontic treatment and/or undermine the stability of orthodontic treatment
- Speech distortions with the following sounds: s, z, sh, ch, J, t, d, n, l, and/or r
Using his extensive knowledge in various therapy approaches Michael will blend those approaches to develop a plan that will best address his clients’ needs. He has developed MiniMYO plans for preschoolers, blending traditional myofunctional therapy exercises with the TalkTools horn program, Beckman stretches, Mustagova reflex exercises, and feeding therapy.
Professional Associations:
- American Speech -Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
- International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM)
Locations
7617 Little River Turnpike
Suite #310
Annandale, VA 22003
1487 Chain Bridge Road
Suite #102
McLean, VA 22101
2104 Mount Vernon Ave
Alexandria, VA 22301