Pediatric Speech Therapy for Oral Adhesions in Chicago, IL
Does your baby have difficulty latching during feedings? Does your older child struggle to chew certain foods or produce some speech sounds clearly? These difficulties may be related to an oral adhesion, commonly known as a tongue, lip, or cheek tie.
At SensAble Kids, our pediatric speech therapists help children with oral adhesions develop the movement and coordination they need to eat more comfortably and speak more clearly.
What Are Oral Adhesions?
An oral adhesion occurs when a small band of tissue in your child’s mouth, called a frenulum, restricts movement.
Types of oral adhesions include:
- Tongue-tie: The tissue beneath the tongue limits your child’s ability to lift, extend, or move their tongue from side to side. It is also called ankyloglossia.
- Lip-tie: The tissue connecting the upper lip to the gums restricts movement of the lip.
- Cheek-tie: The tissue connecting the inside of the cheek to the gums restricts movement of the cheek.
Sometimes, when tight tissue gets in the way of eating or speech, your child may need a release procedure known as a frenotomy or frenectomy. Your child’s medical or dental provider can work with you to determine whether a procedure is appropriate.
Signs an Oral Adhesion May Be Affecting Your Child
Signs that an oral adhesion may be affecting your child’s feeding or speech include:
- Trouble latching during breast or bottle feeding
- Discomfort or fatigue before finishing a full feeding
- Milk or food leaking from their mouth
- Difficulty chewing or managing certain food textures
- Limited ability to lift or move their tongue
- Difficulty producing certain speech sounds clearly
How Pediatric Speech Therapy Can Help with Oral Adhesions
At SensAble Kids, our pediatric speech therapists help your child improve how their tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw move and work together for feeding and speech, whether or not a release procedure is needed. Your child’s individualized therapy plan may focus on:
- Improving the coordination needed to suck, chew, and swallow
- Helping your child manage different food textures comfortably
- Developing more effective tongue, lip, and jaw movements
- Practicing accurate placement for speech sounds
- Preparing your child for a release procedure and helping them adjust to greater tongue and mouth movement afterward
We also share strategies you can use at home to help your child practice these skills between sessions.
Why Choose SensAble Kids?
For more than a decade, SensAble Kids has provided compassionate, evidence-based pediatric speech therapy to families throughout the Chicago area. We use a whole-child, relationship-centered approach that considers how an oral adhesion affects your child’s feeding, speech, and overall comfort. When appropriate, we also provide specialized myofunctional therapy to help improve how your child’s tongue, lips, jaw, and facial muscles work together for feeding and speech.
Reach Out Today to Get Started
If you’re concerned an oral adhesion is affecting your child’s feeding or speech, call SensAble Kids at (773) 697‑7333 email office@sensablekids.com, or use our online form to schedule an evaluation.