Lactation Counseling Support
What Can a Parent Expect during a consult/evaluation/therapy?
Infant Consult (nominal fee, not billed through insurance)
An infant consult is approximately 30 minutes and will give parents an idea of any structural concerns (tonsils, tongue tie, lip tie, buccal tie, palatal concerns) and any functional feeding and swallowing causes. Families are always sent home with exercises to practice including stretching on any muscles that are restricted or limited in movement, chewing exercises and/or suck training. A report is not written up and a referral from a primary physician is not needed. A screening form is filled out and is sent over to any external providers that are recommended (ENT, dentist, etc).
Infant evaluation/treatment (billed through insurance, order is needed from primary physician)
An infant and/or child evaluation requires an order to “evaluate and treat as necessary” for oral motor, speech, or feeding concerns (whichever is pertinent). A full evaluation is conducted on the child with medical history and current structure and function, then a report is written up and sent back to the primary physician for a signature. Goals are written based on the child’s needs and treatment is recommended based on current skills. Typically, an infant with no other medical concerns only requires a few appointments, whereas a child with more complicated medical history and/or a cleft, high palate, increased aspiration risk etc. will require more therapy. A home-based exercise program is always sent home with the parents based on oral/motor training that I’ve participated in.