For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

Jeremy is having tubes put in his ears a week from Tuesday and will simultaneously have his frenulum snipped for tongue tie. It isn't a bad case. He has had no issues with feeding or babbling but when the pediatrician said he MIGHT have issues with articulation, it was a done deal. I'm not waiting for an issue to happen. I teach special ed and 99% of my students get speech and language therapy. A long as he was already going to be under an anesthetic for his ears, this simple procedure to release his tongue tie is truthfully not a big deal. I am not nervous for the surgery. Abby has tubes.

Here is my question. If your child had the surgery to release tongue tie, did they require speech therapy at all for articulation soon after or even down the line? Is their speech intelligible? Quite honestly, I can only see things getting better. He is not delayed in feeding or babble in any way. He can utter the sounds:

ma
da
ed-ah
bwah
and a few others.

Also if there are any SLPs on the boards who do EI and have any experience with this, can you tell me if any of your clients had artic issues after the procedure.

TIA

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

DS had it done at 1 year old. They did it in office, not too bad. He did babble here and there, and said mama and dada before he had it done, but we noticed that after he had it, he truly started babbling. Who knows if it was a coincidence with timing and his age, or if it was the releasing of the tongue tie. His was more than mild, but not severe.

He's still to young to tell if he will need speech therapy, but at 14 months he's babbling and talking in his own language :)

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

I'm pretty sure that at Jeremy's age that the only qualification for speech would be feeding issues and weight loss because of feeding issues or even complete lack of babble. He wouldnt qualify now. I'm almost positive. He babbles like a maniac.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

Bumping for the afternoon crowd.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

ds2 got it snipped at 6 months. he also had no issues bfing and they said it was so minor but being a spec. ed. teacher (who worked in a speech school) i said i wanted it snipped asap. he's 2 and still has a small knotch on the tip of his tongue which is so cute. he is little and talks a ton 3-7 word sentences with age appropriate articulation, he has unrelated feeding issues now. "surgery" was a breeze! he was laughing and nursing as soon as he woke up. he was a bit dizzy looking for a few minutes though.
he'll do great!

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

Thanks. I have only heard of speech improving not getting worse. What's the healing process like?

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

So I did a lil research and found the following about tongue tie:

Potential effects of tongue tie
1. Speech development
It is important to note that tongue tie does not necessarily impair speech, in fact, it rarely appears to do so. Many individuals compensate well and have normal sounding speech, even those with the fraenum attached very close to the tongue tip under the tongue. Some individuals with tongue tie may have imprecise articulation, especially at speed.

"Most experienced speech-language pathologists would conclude that frenulectomy is rarely indicated for speech reasons unless it is very severe or there are concomitant oral-motor problems." Ann W. Kummer

2. Dental health
Cavities ('dental caries') can occur due to food debris not being removed by the tongue’s action of sweeping the teeth and spreading saliva.

3. Periodontic health
Gingivitis (gum disease) can develop, for the reason stated above.

4. Oral hygiene
Halitosis (bad breath) may be present, due to caries and food debris.

5. Eating and digestion
Some children with tongue tie are messy eaters due to a restricted ability to tidy up inside and outside of their mouths while they are having a meal. Some are unable to circle their lips with their tongues in order to fully lick their lips. In extreme cases poor oral hygiene can lead to digestive complaints.

6. Sexual function
Restricted tongue movements may affect sexual expression.

7. Appearance
The tongue can be unduly obvious or unusual looking in some individuals, particularly when they are close up, or appear on video, film or TV.

8. Oral play
Children in particular may not be able to participate in play routines involving tongue movements and gestures.

9. Self esteem
It has been noted clinically that occasionally an older child or adult will be self-conscious, embarrassed or resentful about their tongue tie.

DAMN GOOGLE! I looked at #6 and now I cannot look at Jeremy without laughing my arse off. He is smiling as if to say "Thank you mommy."

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

I'm an SLP and the stance of ASHA and most SLPs is rarely to snip and that any tightness to the lingual frenulum rarely affects articulation. I think your little guy will be fine. I've had one parent who had their baby snipped and she had a phonological processing problem that was her issue (presents like a speech problem but it isn't...it's language/phonology...parents didn't get the difference and wanted to snip her again).

In the past 10 years I have only seen 1 child who I thought should have it snipped...age 6 and it was definitely affecting speech and eating. The family didn't have medical coverage and went to a clinic with inconsistent care. They didn't speak English and I had to arrange things with the doctor for them. He went to a different school after the procedure, so I never knew what happened.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

I work with many SLPs, told them J's story and not one of them mentioned that. Wonder why? Ill ask when I go back to work next week. What's funny is that I never thought about the other implications of tongue tie that I listed in my PP. I guess there is a lot more than articulation to consider. The pediatrician mentioned it to me when he turned 8 months. I never thought to look and now since its been brought to my attention, I see that J cannot stick his tongue out past his lips. He has low muscle tone as did Abby and she had issues moving food to the back of her mouth. She did not have tongue tie but she did have low tone in her mouth. If J does too, I'd be concerned that like his sister, he would have similar issues. Combine that with tongue tie, I'd think once he advances to more difficult textures, it may be hard.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

I'm an SLP. With all the kids that I have worked with there was 1 that I recommended the surgery for and that was b/c he was having major feeding issues. The "snip" is really no big thing and in his case his feeding issues completely resolved. It doesn't sound like your DS has any issues with feeding or babbling. I don't think that having it snipped now will negatively impact anything in terms of his articulation when he gets older.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

I have kids in my class now who are tongue tied and should have had it done. Their speech is unintelligible and they are very messy eaters. Granted they have a whole host of other issues but these are the most obvious at first.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

no real recovery. he may have been sore for a day or 2 but never showed it.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

I know I have posted about this before, so sorry about sounding like a broken record. Noah had tongue tie and it was snipped when he was 4 months. He does have quite a lot of speech problems, which the speech therapist says MAY or MAY NOT have something to do with the tongue tie. Is that vague enough for you?

His problems are mainly to do with his Fricative sounds, these sounds are mainly made with the tongue either against the top of the mouth or against the back of the teeth...so I can see where the tongue tie might come into play with this.

His speech is intelligible...but he also has a regional British accent, which causes problems for my family. His teachers and the kids in school understand him, but I am not sure if everyone around us understands him. His vocabulary is amazing, and he is a bright and articulate child. When he is tired, he is really difficult to understand...but this is an issue we are working on. I am going to try to make a video of him talking to send to you so you can see what I mean!

I hope this helps...

Message edited 5/28/2011 3:55:43 PM.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

Thanks Rachel. Thing is that I don't want to wait for a problem to happen. I've never known of an issue to occur BECAUSE of tongue-tie release. I've heard of issues when its NOT released. If he is to have a speech or langauge issue regardless then so be it and ill address it properly. But he's getting close to the age where speech and language is evolving and I'd hate to see him get frustrated if he can't speak properly or be understood. One of my kids at work has to repeat himselfa lot and gets upset. Sadly I don't think his family knew to do anything for him. This is where my knowledge is a curse. My kids are under a different fine tooth comb.

Message edited 5/28/2011 4:15:18 PM.

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)

My belief is that he would have had these problems regardless of the tongue tie...but denial aint just a river in Egypt...

Re: For those of you whose kids had surgery for tongue-tie (or any SLP moms)