THERAPY & EVALUATIONS
Infant Services
Do you or your provider suspect your baby has a tie(s)? If so, you've come to the right place! At Little Arbor Speech Therapy, we believe early intervention is the most beneficial way to ensure your baby continues to develop properly. We determine the root cause of your baby's struggles and collaborate with other professionals to provide the most concise and effective treatment.
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Infant Assessment Process
At Little Arbor Speech Therapy, we begin with collecting a thorough history of your child, including their birth story, as well as, feeding struggles you've experienced thus far.
Next, we conduct an evaluation to assess your baby's tie(s), oral anatomy, functional capabilities and whether they're hitting appropriate developmental milestones.
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We assess the degree of oral dysfunction, looking closely at oral rest posture, lip seal, nasal breathing, sleep quality and feeding challenges. This helps us determine the root cause of your child's dysfunction and whether their tie(s) warrants a release.
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Following the assessment, you will be provided with a report detailing our findings and recommendations.
Infant Treatment Process
We provide pre- and post- frenectomy therapy, including oral motor therapy, suck training and breast and bottle feeding advice. Depending on your child's age and developmental level, we also address feeding challenges, including transitioning to solids, hyperactive gag reflex, incorrect swallow patterns and jaw strength and stability.
Navigating through the process of a release can be both stressful and confusing and we want to take that burden from you! We will work together to determine the best treatment plan for you, your family and your baby, including building a team that is most effective for what your baby needs. We will collaborate with the other members of the team (IBCLC, bodyworker, release provider, etc.) to determine the best route for treatment.
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How do i know if my baby has oral dysfunction?
While oral dysfunction presents differently in each mom & baby dyad, these are the most common symptoms we see with our clients:
Baby’s Symptoms:
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Poor latch/inability to latch
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Clicking while feeding
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Fatigue during feeds; still hungry after long periods at the breast
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Poor weight gain
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Open mouth posture/breathing (baby’s mouth stays open most of the day)
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Low tongue posture
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High arched palate (baby’s palate should be flat and wide)
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White-coated tongue
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Reflux/gastrointestinal issues
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Lip blisters
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Hypersensitive gag reflex
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Poor coordination of suck-swallow-breathe pattern
Mom’s Symptoms:
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Cracked, sore nipples
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Plugged ducts/mastitis
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Low milk supply
