TalkTools Training

Therapist Bio

Felton, Elizabeth Diane

  WEBSITEhttps://www.trianglespeechom.com/

  contact

919-595-2000

  Address

612 Swift Ave, Durham, NC 27701

  Credentials

CCC-SLP, COM®, MA, QOM

E. Diane Felton is a clinical speech language pathologist with more than 25 years experience. She is board certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association and is licensed by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists. Ms. Felton was on the faculty at Duke University Medical Center for 14 years, working with a wide variety of medically complex patients. She then worked at North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose, & Throat as Director of Speech Pathology for 10 years. Ms. Felton is a Certified Orofacial Myologist and Buteyko Breathing Educator. She specializes in pediatric feeding, swallowing, auditory processing, language, apraxia of speech, voice, and articulation. Ms. Felton has also received special training in Talk Tools Oral Placement Therapy, PROMPT, and Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy.

Diane is a certified orofacial myologist, a treatment method designed for children and adults. Orofacial Myology is the assessment and treatment of abnormal patterns of use of the mouth and face and how these impact dentition, speech, and eating/swallowing.

An Orofacial Myologist can help with

  • Tongue thrusting during speech/swallowing
  • Digit sucking habits
  • Poor jaw stability
  • Speech skills
  • Tongue & Lip tie
  • Orofacial muscle weakness
  • Mouth breathing

An evaluation will be completed and daily homework provided. This treatment helps shorten the child’s time in therapy.

Diane has completed through Level 3 training in Talk Tools Oral Placement Therapy, an oral motor approach that addresses feeding and speech disorders. The approach utilizes the auditory and visual stimuli while adding the tactile and proprioceptive sensory systems.

It allows the patient to not only hear and see the cues for speech, but to feel them as well. In addition, this technique is used to build strength in the orofacial muscles to improve speech clarity and to improve feeding. An OPT evaluation examines your child’s current functional level and sets up a treatment plan that includes daily homework for the patient with the help of his family and a plan for therapy. If the child is not being followed in this clinic, updated assessments may be completed monthly or quarterly.

Diane is trained in the Buteyko Breathing Method, which was developed as a drug free way to reverse dysfunctional breathing, such as in asthma, COPD, or sleep apnea. Dysfunctional breathing patterns can lead to several chronic health problems and also impact how an individual’s teeth and facial structures develop. The Buteyko Breathing Technique has been tested and has been found to be effective and safe.

Dysfunctional breathing patterns that can be treated with Buteyko include the following:

  • asthma
  • adenoid and tonsil inflammation
  • snoring
  • nasal polyps
  • upper airway obstruction
  • COPD

This technique may be used in conjunction with Orofacial Myology Therapy for the best results with orthodontics.