ABOUT
Baby and Beyond Therapy
Our Focus
What is Pre-Frenectomy Care?
Pre-frenectomy care is therapy prior to undergoing a frenum release in order to ensure and prepare the mouth and body for the procedure. Occupational therapists prepare the children for a frenectomy by looking at body and mouth symmetry, body alignment, head turning or posturing as well as gross motor development, oral motor skills, and oral desensitization.
Why is Pre/Post-Frenectomy Treatment Important?
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Maximize existing oral sensory motor function
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Acclimate to oral sensory motor treatment and stimulation
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Ensure the child can tolerate post op exercises prior to procedure
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Learn and practice oral exercises inside child’s mouth
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Establish a baseline
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Provide neuromuscular reeducation
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Improve range of motion and strength
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Prevent re-attachment of frenulum
Oral Motor Therapy
Focuses on the movement of the jaw, tongue, lips, teeth, and cheeks for feeding
Improve mobility, tactile awareness, coordination, and strength of oral muscles
Focuses on developing appropriate motor patterns to be able to eat safely
Prevents re-attachment post operatively and to retrains the tongue and oral structures to work properly together
Feeding Therapy
Teaches a child how to eat or eat better by addressing problems due to limited food repertoire, weak oral musculature, medical complications, or sensory processing issues
Incorporates sensory techniques to address difficulties with processing sensory information from smell, taste, temperature, texture, and appearance
Addresses aversion and avoidance of specific food textures or food groups
Teaches parents how to incorporate strategies so that meal time is more pleasant and less stressful
ABOUT ME
Yvonne Howard MA, OTR/L
Founder
Yvonne obtained a Bachelor Degree of Science in Kinesiology from Chapman University and a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy from University of Southern California. She has been working since 2005 in pediatrics treating children with complex medical conditions, developmental delays, picky eating, oral motor impairments, sensory processing disorders, neuromuscular disorders, Down Syndrome, and Autism. Yvonne has specialized training in Neuromotor Developmental Treatment (NDT), sensory processing, feeding, oral motor, tethered oral tissues (TOTs), myofunctional therapy, Talk Tools, Beckman Oral Motor, and SOS Approach to Feeding. Yvonne received her Certified Breastfeeding Specialist (CBS) certificate through Lactation Education Resource. She has completed Gillepsie's Caniosacral Fascial Therapy Foundations and Infant Training. Yvonne is married and has two boys who have oral motor and myofunctional disorders that has affected their oral motor development and feeding. Yvonne has first-hand experience as a parent dealing with oral restrictions. Yvonne brings both personal passion and professional expertise to treating oral motor impairment in babies and children. When not working or continuing her education, Yvonne enjoys cooking, working-out, reading, and scrapbooking. Yvonne is passionate about helping families learn and implement strategies to help babies and children be more successful with feeding and enjoying meal time.
AREAS OF
Expertise
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Pre/Post op care for frenulum release
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Oral motor skills
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Bottle feeding/breast feeding
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Transitioning from bottle or breastfeeding to cup or straw
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Introduction of solids and transition to solids
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Picky eating
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Self-feeding
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Sensory aversion
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Sensory processing and integration
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Torticollis and plagiocephaly
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Developmental fine motor skills and gross motor skills
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Motor planning
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Strengthening
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