Tongue-tie, Lip Tie & Structure Online Course(s) & Continuing Education
Access the latest clinical skills and research for Tongue-tie, Lip Tie & Structure for Lactation & Breastfeeding professional training. These Tongue-tie, Lip Tie & Structure online courses provide practice-changing skills and valuable perspectives from leading global experts. This Tongue-tie, Lip Tie & Structure education has been accredited for a variety of CEUs / CERPs and can be accessed on-demand, at your own pace.
Post Frenotomy Wound Management and Bodily Autonomy
Effath Yasmin is India's leading Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist, an award winning International Board Certified Lactation Consultant & a Documentary Film Maker. She is also an International Speaker, an Author & a Bach Flower Practitioner.
Her special interests lie in Infant Oral, Sucking & Airway Dysfunction, Tongue Tie, Birth Trauma, Craniofacial Development and a range of chronic physical and mental dis-eases & quantum energy phenomenon. She applies these sciences into Life Coaching, Inner Child Healing and Parenting. Her approach stems from fundamental truth of human organism is complete and self-regulatory and treatment & counselling approach is by deep listening & true empathy to mind body and spirit rather than by intervention.
She currently sits on several national & international professional boards.
She has spear-headed & dedicated her life to many projects with a central mission of advocacy, education and awareness for integrative multidisciplinary wellness approach worldwide. Her work has been published in the International Journals & a textbook and she writes extensively on print and digital media on the subjects of Breastfeeding, Tongue Tie, Parenting & Health related subjects.
Her international award winning film 'Untying Breastfeeding' exposes the glaring unseen obstacles to Birth & Breastfeeding & early parenting that can help restore motherhood and has been widely celebrated over 1500 Cities worldwide. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Metaphysical Sciences.
Topic: Rethinking Surgical Tools - Infant Frenotomy & Pain - [View Abstract]
Topic: Trauma Informed Care in Clinical Infant Oral Assessment: Understanding Body Autonomy - [View Abstract]
The most talked about discussions amongst parents or professional groups across the world is post frenotomy wound management. In the last 15-20 years of development, the field of oral restrictions has yet to see an evidence-based approach or even just a global consensus on approaches and their efficacy in wound management. Therefore lactation consultants, dentists, and surgeons have been using their clinical reasoning to choose the methods and protocols for individual breastfeeding dyads. Nevertheless, the current unregulated wound management protocols have been often reported as traumatic experiences for infants, parents, and care providers. Additionally, a physical oral examination of an infant during the assessment, evaluation, and treatment, and rehabilitation of oral restrictions is essential and vital in an IBCLC clinical practice. It's often seen as a ‘necessary evil’ in clinical work. Some infants may be at risk of reattachment and/or trauma which can have lifelong impacts such as triggers for past memories, anxiety, distress or discomfort, or even PTSD. This can lead to oral aversion symptoms, complete refusal to latch and breastfeed, turning away from food, and gagging, coughing, and choking. Therefore, a respectable trauma-informed approach to oral examination and wound management is based on the fundamental principles of respect for bodily autonomy ensuing a sense of safety, trust, and connection.
Dr Philip Hand practices in Melbourne, Australia . His certifications include: BDS (Otago N.Z.), FICCDE LA&HA Master in Laser Dentistry (Slovenia), MSc Laser Dentistry (UCSC – Rome). He is the Secretary of the International Academy of Innovative Dentistry (IAID) and Assistant Professor UCSC-Rome. Dr. Hand is interested and practices in all fields of general dentistry. These include Implant Dentistry, Endodontics, Periodontics and Orthodontics (POS Graduate). He is a devoted proponent of the use of the dental microscope and dental lasers. He is passionate about tackling the issues and treatment for infant feeding both breast and bottle, airway health and growth and sleep from a dental perspective. He works collaboratively with lactation consultants, maternal health nurses, paediatricians, paediatric osteopaths and chiropractors in the treatment of infants in this pursuit and is actively involved in teaching the importance of this treatment for our patients from infants to adults.
This presentation will look at new research into lingual frenulum restriction and its surgical release to achieve improvement in problems with reflux, breastfeeding and pain for the breastfeeding mother. I will also expand this into restrictive tethered oral tissues (lip-tie, buccal-tie) as a whole, as this was part of my published study into the laser surgical release of restrictive tethered oral tissues on breastfeeding and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Learn more about the impact of surgical release (frenotomy) of tongue- tie, lip-tie, buccal-tie on both reflux and breastfeeding outcomes for the classically recognised anterior tongue-tie and the less obvious (without functional assessment) posterior tongue-tie. Posterior tongue-tie was noted in 71% of the study cohort.
Rethinking Surgical Tools - Infant Frenotomy & Pain
Effath Yasmin is India's leading Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist, an award winning International Board Certified Lactation Consultant & a Documentary Film Maker. She is also an International Speaker, an Author & a Bach Flower Practitioner.
Her special interests lie in Infant Oral, Sucking & Airway Dysfunction, Tongue Tie, Birth Trauma, Craniofacial Development and a range of chronic physical and mental dis-eases & quantum energy phenomenon. She applies these sciences into Life Coaching, Inner Child Healing and Parenting. Her approach stems from fundamental truth of human organism is complete and self-regulatory and treatment & counselling approach is by deep listening & true empathy to mind body and spirit rather than by intervention.
She currently sits on several national & international professional boards.
She has spear-headed & dedicated her life to many projects with a central mission of advocacy, education and awareness for integrative multidisciplinary wellness approach worldwide. Her work has been published in the International Journals & a textbook and she writes extensively on print and digital media on the subjects of Breastfeeding, Tongue Tie, Parenting & Health related subjects.
Her international award winning film 'Untying Breastfeeding' exposes the glaring unseen obstacles to Birth & Breastfeeding & early parenting that can help restore motherhood and has been widely celebrated over 1500 Cities worldwide. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Metaphysical Sciences.
Topic: Rethinking Surgical Tools - Infant Frenotomy & Pain - [View Abstract]
Topic: Trauma Informed Care in Clinical Infant Oral Assessment: Understanding Body Autonomy - [View Abstract]
Ankyloglossia (tongue tie) impacts and can impair normal oral function in infants leading to a myriad of complications with breastfeeding. Increased awareness of this impact has led to increased diagnosis and treatment of tongue tie through frenotomy/frenectomy. These procedures are typically completed using one of two tools: scissors or laser and sometimes cautery. While the methods are equally effective when completed by a competent practitioner, the blood coagulation of the surgical incision made by a laser is cited as an major advantage in laser surgeries along with great advantage of visibility at the surgical site by the surgeon. Therefore laser release is widely perceived as superior to scissors in the recent development in LASER FRENECTOMIES.
There has been very little research that has been published on the post-procedural effects of surgical tool used. In her practice, the author has noted significant and consistent patterns in post-procedure pain, correlating to which tool is used for the release. This presentation attempts to highlight that it is critical we study the scale of pain experienced by infants post frenotomy in correlation to tool of surgery since Pain affects babies' nervous systems potentially changing the structure and physiology of the nervous system and be a cause of problems with sleep, feeding, and self-regulation. The Author will review specific data measurements that demonstrate these patterns, and present a theory for potential reasons of prefering one tool over the other for low risk Infant Frenotomies.
Autumn R. Henning, MS, CCC-SLP, is a certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Kentucky with her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Communication Disorders. Autumn is a recognized provider by Ankyloglossia Bodyworkers, has been a guest presenter for Creating a Care Plan for Tongue Ties and delivered a webinar through Innara Health entitled Tethered Oral Tissues: What’s a Therapist to do?. She has served on local breastfeeding professional panels and delivered numerous presentations to parents and medical professionals. Autumn has completed specialty continuing education including Beckman Oral Motor, Vital Stim, and Foundations in Myofascial Release for Neck, Voice, and Swallowing as well more than a dozen professional courses on pediatric feeding and related topics. She is pursuing further education in the areas of lactation and orofacial myology. Autumn has experience working in the school system, early intervention, an ABA center and outpatient clinics including a nationally award-winning intensive feeding program. Autumn currently specializes in pediatric feeding at a non-profit outpatient clinic in Greenville, SC and serves on the board. She recently founded a continuing education company, Chrysalis Feeding, LLC. The flagship course is TOTS: Tethered Oral Tissues Specialty Training that launched this Fall.
This presentation is an introduction to tethered oral tissues and their impact on oral function beyond breastfeeding. Participants will learn about the oral skills necessary for proper speech and solid feeding and how tethered oral tissues alter this optimal function. Participants will learn how to effectively communicate with patients, families, and other medical professionals on this topic and make appropriate referrals with recognition of signs and symptoms affecting oral function.
The Bigger Picture Takes a Bigger Team – Our Journey From a Tongue-Tie Division Service to "Whole-istic" Care
Kate is a Chartered Physiotherapist who works with infants, children and adults with oral myofunctional disorders.
She is Co-Director of the National Tongue Tie Centre where herself and her husband Justin, Consultant Paediatrician, lead a Team offering specialist services in a dedicated family centred environment.
Having trained at the University of Liverpool, she worked in both Leeds and Southampton, where she led and delivered the regional neonatal service for pre-term and high-risk infants, before moving to Ireland. She is a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists and is an IBCLC.
Kate has travelled many times over the last few years, mainly to the USA, to undertake further training in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy and Autonomic Nervous System Therapeutics.
Justin is a Consultant Paediatrician and a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (FRCPCH) and a Fellow of the Faculty of Paediatrics, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and is registered with the Medical Council (Number 171584) under the Specialist Division for Paediatrics.
He has spent thousands of hours on continuing education having attended numerous conferences and courses on tongue-tie, predominantly in the States, in order to be at the forefront of care for infants, children, and adults. He is also a board member of the International Consortium of Ankyloglossia Professionals (ICAP).
Justin's interest in Tongue Tie dates back to 1999 when his first daughter was born. At 5 days old she had her tongue tie divided in Southampton. Six children and four tongue ties later, he returned to Southampton to start his training in how to divide tongue ties himself. He has been treating tongue ties since 2008 and running a dedicated tongue tie clinic since 2010 and established the National Tongue Tie Centre with his wife Kate, Physiotherapist in 2017. Currently, Justin, Kate and the Team would assess and manage Tethered Oral Tissues in over one thousand children and adults each year.
The management of Ankyloglossia has historically been controversial. To this day, the recognition of what makes a tongue frenulum restrictive such that it is ankyloglossia and how infants should be managed before, during and after surgery still generates debate between the professions involved in their care.
We will take you on our journey from awareness, through training and experience, always striving to optimise management of Ankyloglossia for infants and their families.
The Compensatory Mechanics of Suck for Babies with Oral Tethering: How to Identify and Treat after Revision
Ellen Chetwynd PhD MPH RN BSN IBCLC is a breastfeeding researcher, lactation consultant, and advocate. Her goal is to provide excellent care that is innovative and effective. Her clinical care is equally informed by, and leads to, her research and collaborations with fellow scientists. She is an advocate of breastfeeding families of all shapes, as well as the providers who care for them. Through her work as Chair of the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition she has contributed to the statewide work to provide Medicaid reimbursement in North Carolina, successfully funded a project to support clinics seeking to become breastfeeding friendly and increase access to equitable support of breastfeeding, implemented a statewide breastfeeding summit, and created an interactive statewide resource listing for breastfeeding resources at the county level. In her lactation consulting work, she is sought out by parents and clinicians for her work with difficult cases of pain and dysfunctional infant suck. She is a prolific writer, and her research and publications cover topics including breastfeeding and metabolic health, reimbursement for lactation consulting, LGBTQI+ families, and breastfeeding research methodology. She recently created and co-taught a full day workshop on breastfeeding research methods, and gets fired up about the numbers behind what we do to support families. At Next Level Lactation LLC, she and her partners provide advanced lactation educational opportunities.
Babies with oral tethering don't have access to the full range of motion needed to create negative pressure at the back of their mouths so they can draw milk out of the effectively and painlessly. We can all assess the latch, but what is happening with the tongue, the breast and nipple, and the other muscles involved in the mechanics of suck after the baby’s mouth closes over the breast? How do we identify compensatory mechanisms convince babies to change them with the broader mobility they have after frenotomy? This presentation will teach participants how to visualize/experience normal infant suck. Compensatory suck mechanisms are the techniques that infants use during feeding when they don’t have access to adequate movement in their tongue and floor of their mouth. Infants are creative, and the strategies they develop are varied. Participants will learn how to identify and categorize compensatory mechanisms and use clinical skills to differentiate and assess muscle tension related to overuse and suck mechanics at the breast. A unique set of clinical techniques that can be used by the lactation consultant and taught to the mother addressing each category of compensatory suck mechanics will be introduced and illustrated through case studies.
The Elephant In The Room - Bleeding Post Tongue-Tie Division
Sarah is a Registered General Nurse, Health Visitor, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and Tongue-tie Practitioner with a busy private practice based in Cambridgeshire, UK. Sarah is a founder member and former Chair of The Association of Tongue-tie Practitioners and has written a book for parents and professionals, ‘Why Tongue-tie Matters’. Sarah lectures nationally and internationally on infant feeding and tongue-tie.
Topic: COVID-19 and Implications for Tongue-Tie Division in Infants - [View Abstract]
Topic: Is This a Tongue-Tie: How Do We Decide? - [View Abstract]
Topic: The Elephant In The Room - Bleeding Post Tongue-Tie Division - [View Abstract]
This presentation explores professional and lay perspectives on bleeding post tongue-tie division. It will examine what constitutes abnormal bleeding and why this may occur. Risk assessment and reduction will be discussed. Management strategies that have been found to be effective, along with the development of guidelines on bleeding by the Association of Tongue-tie Practitioners will be described.
The Impact of Tongue-Tie and Frenotomy on Infant Feeding: An Overview of Available Research
Rebecca Russo Hill, PhD, DNP, RN, FNP-C earned her BSN from the University of Rhode Island in 2006, her MSN and post-master’s certificate in nursing education from Duke University in 2010, her DNP from Duke University in 2013 and her PhD in Nursing from Boston College in 2021. Rebecca is a family nurse practitioner and certified as a lactation counselor and nurse educator. She is the current program director of prelicensure nursing programs at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, MA.
Rebecca’s dissertation research focused on symptoms of problematic feeding in infants with tongue-tie. She will collaborate with other health profession disciplines to advance the state of the science surrounding infant feeding, tongue-tie, and frenotomy. Her dissertation research has provided the foundation for a lifelong program of research to improve health care for mothers and their children. She is currently studying the effects of frenotomy on non-nutritive sucking mechanics.
Rebecca is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Nurses Association (ANA), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the National League for Nursing (NLN) and Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). Rebecca resides in Massachusetts, raising three children alongside her husband Jonathan.
Despite the low-level of evidence supporting the correction of tongue-tie for breastfeeding problems, recognition and treatment has increased substantially over the last 20 years. Recent systematic reviews have highlighted the findings from available research, the gaps in the science, and recommendations for future research. This presentation presents the results of a review of original research on tongue-tie and its treatment via frenotomy. Learn more about the maternal symptoms and signs of problematic feeding that may be associated with tongue-tie in the infant and what the available research tells us about recommendations for infants with tongue-tie.
The Impact of Tongue-Tie on Swallowing and the Implications for Breastfeeding and Starting Solids
Dr. Sharon Smart is a dedicated and accomplished Lecturer in the Curtin School of Allied Health. With over a decade of experience, Dr Smart has a proven track record of coordinating and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate units in paediatric speech, language, feeding and swallowing disorders.
Dr. Smart has made significant contributions to the study of infant feeding, swallowing disorders in children, tongue-tie, and paediatric speech and language development. Her passion for translating clinical problems into research topics has improved the lives of countless children and their families.
In addition to her research, Sharon is committed to educating the next generation of health professionals. She takes pride in teaching evidence-based assessment and intervention practices, empowering students and clinicians to become skilled and compassionate practitioners.
Dr. Smart serves as a board member on two organisations: the Australasian Society of Tongue and Lip Tie (ASTLIT) and the International Consortium of Ankylofrenula Professionals (ICAP). As a board member, Sharon contributes her expertise and leadership to help guide these organisations in achieving their missions.
Infants and children with tongue-tie can have difficulty swallowing, poor breastfeeding latch, and difficulty transitioning to solid foods. The impact of tongue-tie on these functions can have long-lasting effects on a child's development and well-being. This presentation will include discussion on the anatomy and physiology of swallowing and how it can be impacted by a restricted lingual frenulum. It will include discussion on the typical development of oral motor skills during breastfeeding and transition to solids, and the impact that tongue-tie can contribute to the introduction of solid foods, and challenges with chewing and swallowing. Overall, this presentation will aim to increase your understanding the impact of tongue-tie on feeding and swallowing which is crucial for healthcare professionals working with infants and young children to improve outcomes for both the child and family.
The Impact of Tongue-Tie on the Musculoskeletal and Nervous Systems
Dr. Sharon A. Vallone is a graduate of Rutgers University (AB Microbiology 1978) and New York Chiropractic College (1986). She completed her Diplomate in Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics in 1996 through Palmer College and received her appointment as Fellow in Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics in 2003. Dr. Vallone has a private practice limited to high risk pregnancies and challenged children in Connecticut and is currently the Chair of the Board of Kentuckiana Children’s Center in Louisville, KY and past Vice Chair of the International Chiropractic Association’s Council Pediatric Council. She is an international speaker, author, and editor of the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics. Sharon brings 33+ years of pediatric chiropractic experience with a primary interest in pregnancy, birth trauma, breastfeeding and problems with infant /toddler neurodevelopment.
Topic: Wondering about “The Wanderer?” The Vagus and Ankyloglossia - [View Abstract]
The impact of tethered oral tissues on the fascial system of the neonate can be the origin of both successful and unsuccessful compensatory biomechanical alterations in an attempt to breastfeed. These biomechanical alterations can manifest as asymmetries in appearance and function as well as in behavioral challenges ranging from sleep disturbance, colic like symptoms and inconsolable crying. It is important to understand these issues when looking at the whole picture so as to improve outcomes when surgical interventions are required. The goal of this lecture will be to support the attendees with understanding the relationship between structure and function and how this ties in with physical limitations like tongue and lip tie, the biomechanical assessment and discussion of manual therapies available to assist the breastfeeding dyad.
