Tongue tied?

[LiamsMum]

Hi there
Just wondering if anyone can actually tell me what being 'tongue tied' is - the condition some children have which interferes with their speech. I have heard of it and have been told that it can require surgery. Is there any way of telling if your own child has this condition, or would you have to take them to a specialist? My son seems fine in every respect but is not talking yet at 20 months - his hearing has been tested and there are no problems there. I just want to find out a bit more in case there are any problems in the future. Thanks.

[Melly]

Hi LiamsMum,

My dd has tongue tie. I believe that babies are born with this condition and therefore it is most unlikely that your son has tongue tie otherwise it would have been picked up at birth. I'm no expert, but I think this is right. In my own experience they told me straightaway after my dd was born that she had tongue tie. Basically the it is a condition where the little tendon that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is tighter than usual. Others may be able to give you a better description and more detail. I was given very little info about it and have gleaned most information from here on Mumsnet and from another girl I met at a coffee morning. Some babies can have difficulty breast feeding and also drinking from a beaker, and as you say it may affect speech later on. I've been told that usually the condition corrects itself and the tongue gradually frees up, but occasionally a small operation is needed. As I said, I would be very surprised if your son does have tongue tie because undoubtedly your GP/health visitor would have picked this up when he was tiny.

Hope this is helpful to you

[Art]

Hi LiamsMum,

I think Melly is right - that tongue tie is usually picked up straight away. My ds has it, but we were told that if there were problems with speech it would probably only be certain sounds.

There is another thread (behaviour/development) with a bit more on the subject, if you havent seen it already.