Nancy Magar, MA, CCC-SLP, COM®, has over 32 years of experience as a certified Speech-Language Pathologist with a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).  She holds licenses to practice speech-language pathology in the states of Washington and Florida.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of Washington and a Master of Arts degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Western Washington University.  Nancy obtained certification in the field of orofacial myology through the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM) in 2002 and has been practicing orofacial myology since 1996.  She has served on the Board of Directors for the IAOM for five terms.  She served as an examiner for the Certification in Orofacial Myology  for the IAOM Board of Examiners (BOE) from 2011 to 2023.  She provided numerous 1:1 learning opportunities during the certification process to speech-language pathologists across the United States.

 

Nancy also has worked with adults with swallowing and neurological communication disorders in a variety of settings including hospitals, nursing homes, and home health care.  She has also worked in the hospital NICU addressing feeding/swallowing disorders and worked with birth to 3 population for over 10 years specializing in oral motor, swallowing/feeding disorders and speech and language development.  

 

Nancy recently moved from Washington state to Florida.  She was the director and owner of the Myofunctional Clinic of Bellevue in Washington state from 2002 until January, 2024 after selling her private practice.  The practice was originally established in 1973 and it was a goal of Nancy’s to continue the legacy of the clinic for over 50 years, which is one of the longest running clinics in America specializing in orofacial myofunctional disorders.  Her prior practice specialized in speech articulation, oral motor, motor/sensory feeding and orofacial myofunctional disorders.  Over the years she developed a premier and extremely reputable practice where providers learned to send their most difficult cases.  Nancy is a master at differential diagnosis and getting to the source of problems that are presented.

  

Nancy is passionate about helping patients with speech articulation and orofacial myofunctional disorders.  She has discovered through her career  that most of her patients who have speech articulation disorders especially with persistent frontal or lateral lisp patterns or distorted /r/ also have an orofacial myofunctional disorder or an undiagnosed restricted lingual frenum.  She calls herself “the mouth investigator” and always tries to discover the root of the problem.   

Nancy has presented on the impact of orofacial myofunctional disorders and the impact of tongue/lip ties to multiple dental study clubs, dental and orthodontic offices, school districts, IAOM conventions, and was an annual guest lecturer at the University of Washington to orthodontic students and to Shoreline Community College Dental Hygiene Program.  

Nancy has attended an abundant of courses in the areas of oral motor, feeding, orofacial myology, tethered oral tissues, sleep disorders related to airway and motor speech disorders.   She has been awarded 9 ACE Awards from the American Speech and Hearing Association for completing over 70 hours of continuing education every 3 years.

  

Nancy looks forward to a new adventure in Florida with her husband of 34 years.  They now live in the same city as their son and wife and their daughter is just a 2 hour plane ride away.  Nancy enjoys traveling and spending time at the beach and loves walking and weightlifting. 

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Nancy has completed specialty continuing education courses with orofacial myofunctional/oral motor/motor-sensory feeding/speech articulation including: 

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• “Orofacial Myology: From Basics to Habituation with Neo Health Services,” December, 2023 

• Comprehensive Treatment Seminars Study Club-“Insomnia and Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome and their Role in Sleep Bruxism and Temporomandibular Joint Disorders” with presenters Dr. Jerald Simmons, MD and Dr. Joseph Yousefian, DMD, MS, January 2023 

• Comprehensive Treatment Seminars Study Club-“Dental Intervention in the Treatment of Snoring and Sleep Apnea and How to Select the Right Treatment for the Patient,” November, 2022 

• “Healthy Growth, Healthy Face”-3-day seminar by Dr. Michael Gunson, DDS, MSD and Rebecca Bockow, DDS, MS, October, 2022 

• Comprehensive Treatment Seminars Study Club-“Sleep Related Breathing Disorders: The Otolaryngologist Role and Interventions,” Sept 2021 

• “Unraveling TOT’s: The Basics and Beyond-Talk Tools,” September, 2022 

• “We practice What We Teach: Speech, Feeding and Sensory Essentials” – Talk Tools, September, 2022 

• Comprehensive Treatment Seminars Study Club-“Pathophysiology, Comorbidities and Treatment of Pediatric Sleep Disordered Breathing,” September, 2021 

• Feeding Convention: Talk Tools: “Feeding First: Connect and Collaborate,” October 14-23, 2020 

• “Beckman Orofacial Deep Tissue Release” and was an assistant in “Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention,” Las Vegas November 5-7, 2020 

• Breathe Institute-“Functional Approach to Sleep and Breathing + Frenuloplasty,” May, 2019 

• Beckman Oral Motor Course, San Antonio TX, April 2019 

• Comprehensive Treatment Seminars: “Helping Patients to Sleep Better,” March 2019 

• Comprehensive Treatment Seminars: “Your patient’s Face is More Crooked and the TMJ and Neck Pain Management is Ineffective,”  January 2019 

• Breathe Institute-“Functional Sleep + Breathing/Frenuloplasty Course” -January 2019 

• Comprehensive Treatment Seminars: “Upper Airway Deficiency is More than Just Sleep Disordered Breathing,” November, 2018 

• Comprehensive Treatment Seminars: “Quarterback in Treatment of Pediatric Masticatory and Sleep Disordered Breathing Disorders,” May 2018 

• “Tethered Oral Tissues” by Autumn Henning, MS, CCC-SLP, COM®, April, 2018 

• “Neuroplasticity for Children,” October 2016 

• Attended all yearly IAOM conventions from 1999 to 2023. 

• Attended AAPPSPA conventions in 2015 and 2016 

• Attended ASHA conventions in 1995 and 2019. 

• Practical Therapy Techniques for Apraxia and Dysarthria, Pam Marshalla, January 2010 

• “Learning Consonants with Apraxia and Frontal Lisp, Lateral lisp and Distorted /r/”-Pam Marshall, May 2004 

• Additional specialized training with orofacial myofunctional disorders included: 

• Specialized 1:1 training with Joseph Zimmerman, MA, CCC-SLP, COM® for 3 months internship before purchasing private practice in Bellevue Washington beginning December, 2002.  Training included evaluation and treatment of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders, Digit Sucking Habits, Dental Anatomy/physiology, Dental photography. 

• Evaluation and Treatment of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders and Digit Sucking Habits-4-day course with Roberta Pierce, COM® and Rose Marie Van Norman, COM®, January 2002 

• Assessment and Treatment of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders 4-day course with Galen Peachy, CCC-SLP,COM® and Becky Winchell COM®, 1998 

• The Oral Motor Masters Conference including Oromyofunctional Disorders with Char Boschart, CCC-SLP and Dr. Gloria Kellum-1997