How Tongue-Ties Can Affect Feeding in Infants and Toddlers

Does your baby dribble milk from their bottle or have trouble latching during breastfeeding? Does your toddler find chewing or swallowing difficult? A tongue-tie may be the cause. The good news is that tongue-ties are highly treatable. With pediatric speech therapy, your child can build tongue and mouth strength, develop stronger feeding skills, and enjoy more comfortable mealtimes as they grow.

What Is a Tongue-Tie?

A tongue-tie happens when the thin piece of tissue under the tongue, called the frenulum, is shorter, tighter, or thicker than usual. This can limit how much the tongue can move, making it harder for a baby to latch during breastfeeding or for a toddler to chew and swallow effectively.

Some tongue-ties are mild and cause no issues. But if a tongue-tie seems to be causing feeding difficulties, you may be referred to a specialist for a quick procedure to release it.

Early Signs of a Tongue-Tie

Common signs of a tongue-tie include:

Trouble latching during breastfeeding
Clicking or popping sounds while nursing
Dribbling milk from the mouth during feeding
Long or tiring feeding times
Poor weight gain despite frequent feeding
Gassiness or fussiness during and after meals
Difficulty transitioning to solid foods as a toddler
Trouble chewing or swallowing solid foods

How Tongue-Ties Affect Feeding and Development

A tongue-tie can:

Limit nutrition early on. Babies may tire out before finishing a feed, which can lead to slow weight gain or extra stress for parents.
Make swallowing harder. Babies and toddlers may gulp air or swallow in a way that feels uncomfortable, leading to gassiness or frequent breaks during meals.
Make transitioning to solid foods tougher. Kids may gag or avoid certain textures, which can limit the variety of foods they eat and affect their nutrition.
Affect teeth and bite. A tongue-tie can change how the mouth grows, which may impact teeth alignment.

How Pediatric Therapists Can Help Tongue-Ties

Therapists combine treatment with play-based activities to improve tongue movement, build mouth strength, and make feeding more comfortable. Some of the ways they may help include:

Improving latch and positioning so babies can take in milk more effectively and parents feel less discomfort during feeding
Building tongue and mouth strength with guided activities that make chewing and swallowing easier
Helping toddlers transition to solid foods by practicing safe ways to bite, chew, and swallow
Providing exercises and tips after tongue-tie release surgery to support healing and steady feeding progress

Reach Out Today

If your baby or toddler has been diagnosed with a tongue-tie, or you suspect feeding challenges may be related to a tongue-tie, don’t wait to get help. Reach out to Joy and Laughter Developmental Therapy to make an appointment with a pediatric therapist, or complete our free online screening tool: https://jldtherapy.developmentchecklist.com/.

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Schedule an Evaluation with Our Experts Today

Ready to get started? Our expert pediatric therapists are ready to help your child overcome their challenges so they can experience life full of joy and laughter. All you have to do is reach out, and we’ll get started with play-based therapy that works.

Give us a call at (408) 337-2727 or fill out the contact form below to schedule an evaluation with our team, and let’s make childhood fun again!

Ms. Jennifer
OTR, Founder and Executive Director

Jennifer received her Master’s Degree in occupational therapy from San Jose State University, after double majoring in occupational therapy and psychology for her undergraduate program. Jennifer has been working with special needs children since 2005 both as a therapist and as a respite care worker. She has experience in working with children across the developmental spectrum and from 1-22 years of age. While Autism has been her primary area of practice she also has hands-on experience in working with children with down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Tourette’s, Dyslexia, ADD/ADHA, sensory processing disorders, mental retardation, and other developmental delays.

Outside of work Jennifer enjoys camping, hiking, cake decorating, outdoor adventures, and spending time with her family.

Languages: English, Spanish, American Sign Language (ASL)

Specialty Areas: Autism, Feeding, Swallowing, and Pediatrics Advanced Certifications: Physical Agent Modalities (PAM), Swallowing (SWC), SPD Pro 1 Certification

Certifications & Continuing Education Jennifer has participated in that are often highly sought after by clients and mentees. Handwriting Without Tears (HWT): Is a nationally recognized handwriting program that helps children gain the skills needed for both print and cursive writing. HWT draws from years of experience and research which helps provide developmentally appropriate, multi-sensory tools and strategies to help children learn the skills for handwriting. Children are taught handwriting skills using interactive materials and activities that help promote the skills needed for handwriting. Visit https://www.lwtears.com/ for more information.

Jennifer has received level 1 certification in this program. Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Feeding Solutions: A feeding program that incorporates the principles and practices from multiple disciplines including psychology, pediatrics, occupational therapy, dietetics, and speech-language pathology. The SOS program incorporates sensory, motor, oral, behavioral, learning, medical, and nutritional factors to create a comprehensive program for each child. The SOS program has over 20 years of success for helping infants, children and adolescents learn to eat. For more information visit https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/sos-certification/.

Jennifer has taken beginning and advanced course work in this approach.SCERTS Model: The SCERTS model is a research-based multidisciplinary framework that helps to address many of the problems faced by a person with ASD. The SCERTS model aims to build a child’s skills in “Social Communication”, Emotional Regulation”, and “Transactional Support”. The SCERTS model aims to help children learn and spontaneously react in a variety of settings. To learn more visit their website. The Son-Rise Program for Autism: The Son-Rise program teaches a specific and comprehensive system of autism treatment and education designed to help families and caregivers enable their children to dramatically improve in all areas of learning, development, communication, and skill acquisition. For more information visit https://autismtreatmentcenter.org/.

Jennifer learned this program second hand while providing intensive intervention with a child who’s family received specific training from the options institute.Zones of Regulation Curriculum: The Zones curriculum uses a cognitive-behavioral approach to teach children to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, by managing their sensory needs and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts and share. For more information visit their website at http://www.zonesofregulation.com/learn-more-about-the-zones.html. Jennifer has received first-hand training on this approach by the therapist who developed the curriculum.

Integrated Listening Systems: The iLs system helps to train body/brain integration through a staged approach, starting with the fundamentals of sensory integration and extending through more complex cognitive functions. The iLs program is based on “neuroplasticity” and the fact that the neuronal connections can be improved. For more information on this program visit https://integratedlistening.com/. Jennifer has received certification in the use of iLs for home and clinic use.

STAR Model: The STAR Institue for sensory processing disorders provides treatment, education, and research for children, adolescents and adults with SPD. The STAR Institue provides clinicians with a unique opportunity to receive ongoing education to develop advanced clinical reasoning and treatment skills for individuals with sensory processing.

VitalStim: VitalStim is the only FDA-cleared treatment for NMES (neuromuscular electrical stimulation) treatment for dysphagia. This modality is specifically designed to improve the mechanisms of the swallow. Visit https://www.ciaoseminars.com/home/vitalstim/ for more information. Jennifer is certified to provide treatment using the VitalStim+ system.”

Ms. Shivali
Physical Therapist

Shivali’s journey with kids began over 15 years ago, where she’s been fortunate to witness their incredible growth as a Physical Therapist. After graduating in 2009, she established her own practice in India, nurturing a deep understanding of individual needs and fostering a supportive environment.

Relocating to Virginia in 2013, Shivali embraced new challenges. She thrived in an outpatient Functional Movement based setting, collaborating with Speech, Occupational, Developmental therapists as well as movement aides and assistants to provide a holistic approach to her therapeutic interventions. Her passion for supporting families flourished as an Early Interventionist for Fairfax County, where she valued the importance of natural environments, parental participation and individualized care to support children and their families meet their functional goals. She worked as an Assistive Technology manager to handle all the therapeutic equipment for the county therapists and patients. Shivali brings a wealth of experience to her practice, having dedicated her career to supporting children from infancy through young adulthood. She has a deep understanding of diverse developmental needs, including those facing children with Delayed milestones, Torticollis, Down syndrome, Plagiocephaly, Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, ADD, Muscular Dystrophies, Cerebral Palsyand genetic abnormalities. Her approach is multi-faceted, drawing from a range of evidence-based therapies such as Total Motion Release, DIR Floortime, Kinesio Taping, Learning Without Tears to name a few to create personalized treatment plans that foster each child’s unique growth and development.

The summer of 2022 brought the family to sunny California, where Shivali currently dedicates her expertise to supporting children within a school district and with Joy and Laughter.

Beyond the clinic, Shivali cherishes her role as a mother to two vibrant daughters. Together with her husband, they embrace adventures, exploring new parks and hiking trails. A culinary enthusiast, Shivali delights in creating healthy and exciting meals for her family. And for a touch of self-care, she enjoys crafting her own skincare products for her family and friends!
Shivali is thrilled to bring her passion, experience and playful spirit for pediatric therapy to JLD, empowering children to reach their full potential.

Ms. Jennifer
Speech Language Pathologist, Feeding Specialist

Since earning her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Arizona Jennifer has specialized in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders; working in hospitals, clinics and home health settings. For over 10 years she has been evaluating and treating children, newborns to adolescents, with a variety of disorders including, premature birth, autism spectrum disorders, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, tongue and tip tie, cleft lip and palate, organ transplant recipients and medically fragile children. She has transitioned medically fragile infants and children from tube feedings to oral feedings and advised physicians on feeding tube removals. She has completed training in the “Get Permission Approach to Feeding Therapy”, “Beckman Oral Motor Protocol,” and “Tethered Oral Tissues Specialty Training.” Additionally, she has specialized training in the underlying medical causes of feeding and swallowing disorders and in assembling and working with an interdisciplinary medical team to address often overlooked medical issues. She conducts training with local medical professionals to provide education on pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. She uses a whole-body approach when assessing and treating feeding and swallowing disorders.

Jennifer is a certified infant massage instructor and utilizes these skills to teach family massage techniques that improve parent-child attachment, muscle activation, and digestion. She also enjoys and has experience in providing pediatric speech and language evaluations and therapy to children with a variety of special needs including those who have a tracheostomy tube, are medically fragile, born premature, have developmental delays, autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, cognitive disabilities, chromosome abnormalities, drug exposure, tongue thrust, etc. Jennifer has advanced proficiency in American Sign Language and has employed this skill to improve the communication within D/deaf and hard of hearing families and hearing families who want to use a total communication approach. She is TOTS certified as well.

Jennifer and her husband have three young children. They all love riding bikes, hiking, and exploring California together. She is scuba certified and loves traveling back home to Florida to dive in the warm water.