Just as each child is unique, their challenges with food also vary greatly from one to the next. Feeding issues can include inadequate intake, food refusal, being selective about the type or texture of food, expelling or packing/pocketing food, and dependence on a G-tube. Research indicates that feeding issues in children can have many causes, including behavioral, sensory, and oral motor factors.

Areas of concern often addressed by pediatric occupational therapists include:

ORAL DESENSITATION FOR FEEDING & MOUTH ACTIVITIES: These include general assessment and treatment of a child’s sensory issues in relation to feeding and oral motor function techniques.  The activities include use of tactile & body sensory activities.  It is a slow, systematic approach to changing color, form, taste and textures of foods to enhance a child’s food repertoire.  Deep pressure touch protocol to the mouth is used to allow the child the ability to participate in more intense types of oral motor activities.

ORAL CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY: Craniosacral techniques to localize restrictions and restore normal motion to the bones of the face and mouth. A restriction is an impairment of normal physiological motion within the body. By normalizing motion of the structures of the mouth, children are able to integrate sensory motor and oral motor activities on a more aligned structural base.

TALK TOOLS®: Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson, SLP of Tucson, Arizona, has developed tools for improving oral strength (lips, tongue and jaw), refining of tongue placement required for articulation, and enhancing breath support for adequate respiration, phonation and resonation, all required for speech skills. These “tools” come in the form of various horns and straws, each with a particular skill in mind to acquire. The program also uses functional and fun exercises. The tools and exercises are also recommended for home programs to ensure best results.

BECKMAN ORAL MOTOR INTERVENTION: Debra Beckman, SLP, Orlando, Florida has developed non-invasive quick muscle stretches and deep tissue releases for the face and mouth. These releases help to decrease frenulum tissue restrictions inhibiting range of movement of the lips, cheeks and tongue, take minutes to occur, and are completed with a comfortable light touch in the mouth. The quick muscle stretches are meant to facilitate muscle contraction and are followed by active exercises to gain strength and function. The stretches are given to the tiny muscles of the face and mouth, are also non-invasive and light in application. These techniques are used in home programs with instruction for best results.