Oral motor skills and feeding

Question 1

Chewing

Answer 1

 phasic- bite-release - Stimulated gums result in biting down and opening back up
 Munching - Voluntary bite or chewing motions
 Vertical (6 mo.)—soft foods
 Diagonal (9-15 mo.)—soft foods
 Rotary (24 mo.)–meats

Question 2

Sign of Feeding Issues

Answer 2

If eating/feeding is stressful for the child and/or caregivers, there is some difficulty with
feeding/eating present.
 Cultural differences

Question 3

Oral Motor Control
 Influenced by:

Answer 3

 Muscle tone
 Reflex development
 Anatomical structures and anomalies
 Sensory processing abilities

Question 4

 Components of Oral Motor Control

Answer 4

 Suck
 Swallow
 Bite reflex
 Jaw control
 Tongue control (thrust, retraction, lateralization)
 Lip control

Question 5

Poor Feeding Endurance

Answer 5

If it takes more than 30-40 minutes to feed a child,
there may be a feeding problem.
 Endurance issue
 Causes:
 Weak oral musculature
 Medical issues

Question 6

Refusal of Food

Answer 6

 Some picky eating is typical of toddlers and small children
 Children need to be exposed to food multiple
times before they will try it or eat it

Question 7

Behavior Problems with Feeding

Answer 7

 Communication
 Cue reading
 Nonverbal cueing for being full, etc.
 Can be expressed through gagging or vomitting
 Transitions
 From bottle to cup, etc.

Question 8

Repeated Gagging & Hiccupping

Answer 8

Hiccups = too much air being swallowed during eating
 Gagging results when bites are too big, or food is not chewed into small enough pieces

Question 9

Vomiting After or during Feeding

Answer 9

-first refer to medical to rule out any medical issues or deformities
 Could be reflux
 Could be an attempt at communication
 Could be behavioral

Question 10

Child on a Feeding Tube

Answer 10

 Nasal-gastric tube (NG tube)
 Gastric tube (G-tube) or jejunum tube (J-tube)