Oral Function & Feeding Therapy Adelaide
Paediatric Speech Pathologist & Lactation Consultant
In-Clinic, Home visits & Telehealth consultations available
When things feel harder than they should
While every child is different, there are some common concerns that may be worth exploring further.
You might be noticing:
Oral function can influence feeding, breathing, sleep, and development
Oral function refers to how the tongue, lips, jaw, palate, and airway work together.
While many families first notice challenges during feeding, oral function can also influence breathing patterns, sleep quality, chewing, swallowing, and oral development.
When these systems aren't working efficiently, babies and children often develop compensatory patterns that can affect comfort, coordination, and function over time.
This may impact:
• Latch, seal, and suction
• Milk transfer and feeding efficiency
• Chewing coordination and texture management
• Ability to move food around the mouth
• Air intake and feeding comfort
• Nasal breathing and oral resting posture
• Airway development and sleep quality
Rather than focusing on a single symptom, assessment looks at how these systems are working together and whether they may be contributing to the challenges you're seeing.
Feeding challenges are often part of a bigger picture
Assessment considers how these patterns interact with:
Feeding mechanics and positioning
Milk flow and supply
Sensory and behavioural responses during feeding
Reflux or gastrointestinal symptoms
Compensation patterns that have developed over time
If you’re also noticing reflux symptoms or unsettled feeding, you can learn more here.
Understanding how these factors interact allows us to identify what is actually driving the difficulty.
When it may be worth exploring further
Support across early feeding and beyond
The way oral function presents can change over time.
For one child, concerns may first appear during breastfeeding or bottle feeding. For another, they may become more obvious during the transition to solids, through ongoing chewing difficulties, persistent oral habits, or alongside breathing and sleep concerns.
Support may be appropriate for:
• Older babies transitioning to solids
• Children with chewing, swallowing, or oral coordination challenges
• Difficulty managing textures or expanding food variety
• Persistent dummy use, thumb sucking, or other oral habits
• Mouth breathing, open-mouth posture, or sleep-related concerns
• Ongoing symptoms that have not fully resolved despite previous support
Assessment and support is tailored to the individual child and may include consideration of chewing skills, oral coordination, breathing patterns, oral posture, airway-related factors, and day-to-day function.
While the symptoms may change, the goal remains the same: understanding how oral function may be contributing and identifying practical next steps for the individual child.
What happens in a consultation?
We go through your feeding history and current concerns
I observe feeding, oral function, breathing and tension patterns
I assess oral function, coordination, and feeding efficiency
We identify where things may be breaking down or compensating
We make practical adjustments where appropriate
You leave with a clear, personalised plan and next steps
Support that fits your family
Clinic Consultations (Adelaide)
Clinic consultations provide a focused, structured space to understand what may be contributing to your baby or child’s feeding, oral function, breathing, or airway concerns.
We look at how feeding, oral function, coordination, breathing patterns, and regulation are working together — including how your child is managing milk feeds, solids, chewing, or overall feeding efficiency.
This allows us to identify where patterns may be breaking down, compensations may have developed, and what practical changes may help.
You leave with a clearer understanding of what’s happening, along with a personalised, structured plan that fits your child and your family.
For added support, follow-up guidance via phone or email is available for 7 days after your consultation if needed.
Best suited for:
- Babies or children where feeding feels difficult, effortful, or unresolved
- Mouth breathing, airway, or oral posture concerns
- Challenges with solids, chewing, textures, or coordination
- Situations where feeding or oral function hasn’t improved as expected
Home visits may be available. Please get in touch if you would like to explore whether this is suitable.
Telehealth Consultations
Telehealth provides a detailed and effective way to assess feeding, oral function, breathing patterns, and overall coordination from home.
By combining a thorough history with guided observation, we can assess how feeding and oral function are working across milk feeds, solids, breathing, comfort, and day-to-day regulation.
I’ll guide you on what to record beforehand so we can build a clear picture of what may be contributing.
You’ll leave with a clear, personalised plan you can begin implementing straight away, along with optional follow-up support via phone or email for 7 days if needed.
Best suited for:
- Families outside Adelaide
- Feeding, reflux, oral function, or airway concerns
- Babies or children transitioning to solids
- Situations where flexible access is needed
Hi, I’m Summer
I’m a paediatric Speech Pathologist and certified lactation consultant, with advanced training in orofacial myology and a clinical focus on infant feeding, reflux, and oral function. I support families where feeding is difficult, uncomfortable, or not progressing as expected—particularly when standard advice hasn’t resolved the issue.
My interest in reflux became deeply personal after navigating severe reflux and tongue tie with my own little person. Like many parents, I was told it was something babies simply “grow out of”, but I quickly discovered that identifying the underlying cause makes all the difference.
Since then, I’ve helped thousands of families understand what’s really driving their baby’s reflux symptoms and how to address them using gentle, practical strategies.
Rated 5 stars on Google
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Frequently Asked Questions
Oral function refers to how the tongue, lips, jaw, palate, and airway work together during feeding, breathing, and everyday function.
Feeding relies on coordinated movement, stability, pressure generation, and the ability to manage airflow comfortably.
When these systems aren’t working as expected, babies and children often compensate in ways that can affect feeding efficiency, comfort, breathing, sleep, or overall regulation.
Not always.
Tongue tie is one factor that can impact oral function, but feeding or breathing difficulties can also relate to coordination, strength, airway patterns, compensation, or how the mouth is functioning overall.
Assessment looks at the whole picture rather than focusing on a single structure in isolation.
In some cases, feeding patterns, compensation, or oral function difficulties can continue even after a release.
Looking at how feeding, breathing, coordination, and oral function are working together can help identify what may still need support.
Yes. Oral function and airway development are closely related.
The way a child breathes, rests their tongue, and uses the muscles of the mouth can influence comfort, sleep quality, oral development, and day-to-day function.
Mouth breathing, open-mouth posture, chronic congestion, and snoring can all be reasons to explore oral function further.
No. You don’t need a diagnosis to explore whether feeding, oral function, breathing patterns, or airway-related concerns may be contributing to the difficulties you’re noticing.
Assessment focuses on understanding what’s happening, identifying contributing factors, and helping you work out practical next steps.
Support that looks at the full picture
When something within that system isn't working as expected, understanding why can make a meaningful difference to comfort, function, and quality of life.
Whether you're concerned about feeding, reflux, chewing, mouth breathing, sleep, or ongoing oral development concerns, assessment focuses on identifying what may be contributing and giving you a clear, practical next step.
