Alison,
Thanks for the explanation of the mechanism of oral hypertonicity in
allergic infants.
I was not saying that tongue retraction or tongue tie are
responsible for oral hypertonicity, this is usually neurological. I was
talking about a biting/chewing suck.
I also agree with you that tongue ties often result in a loose
suck and overactive jaw excursions. This is expecially true in the
severest cases. In less severe tongue-tie, flicking of the tongue
against the nipple with recoil is typical. These kids tend to overuse
chewing motions to compensate for the relative inability to stabilize the
tongue. I have seen this continue for some time (weeks) even after
frenotomy.
I think the problem is that there is not yet a standard
vocabulary for subtle suck differences, leading to communication
difficulties. Something else we as a profession need to hammer out.
--
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC NYC [log in to unmask]