Guest guest Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 My son also used to have extreme difficulty chewing. The trigeminal stimulation I posted about on the eating thread earlier in the week should be helpful in this case as well. Applying deep finger pressure all over his body, with extra emphasis around the mouth (and inside if he'll allow it), probably would also help. To do this, you'll need to hold in a pinch-type grasp or push with 1-2 fingers really hard (most of the kids cannot feel pressure that a typical kid would register pain for) for 5 seconds, then go on to another point. This helps the child's brain register where that point is on the body since many of these kids have very little body awareness. The deep pressure activity sets up a " map " for the brain to be able to locate the part when trying to do a motor action later. You have to build up to 5 seconds for most sensative kids but it's well worth the time of building up. Gaylen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 My son also used to have extreme difficulty chewing. The trigeminal stimulation I posted about on the eating thread earlier in the week should be helpful in this case as well. Applying deep finger pressure all over his body, with extra emphasis around the mouth (and inside if he'll allow it), probably would also help. To do this, you'll need to hold in a pinch-type grasp or push with 1-2 fingers really hard (most of the kids cannot feel pressure that a typical kid would register pain for) for 5 seconds, then go on to another point. This helps the child's brain register where that point is on the body since many of these kids have very little body awareness. The deep pressure activity sets up a " map " for the brain to be able to locate the part when trying to do a motor action later. You have to build up to 5 seconds for most sensative kids but it's well worth the time of building up. Gaylen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 Speech pathologists can help a lot with food and eating issues. Toddler Can't Chew My son (dx PDD-NOS) just turned two and he cannot chew food. He refuses all food that is not completely smooth. Anything solid he just opens his mouth and lets if fall out. Anything thickened or grainy makes him gag. His face turns all red and he will sometimes vomit. He will eat a variety of purreed food including vegetables, fruits and yogurt. The issue isn't pickiness or an unwillingness to eat. It is only an issue of not chewing. I've looked at websites and read books but I can't find any advice for the child who can't chew. Everything is oriented toward the picky eater. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks -Kathy Texas Autism Advocacy Unlocking Autism www.UnlockingAutism.org Autism-Awareness-Action Worldwide internet group for parents who have a child with AUTISM. SeekingJoyinDisability - Prayer support for those touched by Disability: SeekingJoyinDisability/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 While your waiting for an appt from the Speech Path. Go shopping for a small dog toys with textures and squeezers, a small battery operated vibrator. You can start by using the vibration on the out side of your son's cheek's. See if he will chew on the toys. You want to get the kind that have spikes and nubs on the chew toys. The reason they recommend dog toys, as they know they can't chew thru them, since dogs cannot. What about cold things, can your son tolerate popsicle? Just an exercise to start using his tongue more. YOu can even put a small amount of peanut butter on his lips and try to get him to lick it off. > Speech pathologists can help a lot with food and eating issues. > > > Toddler Can't Chew > My son (dx PDD-NOS) just turned two and he cannot chew food. He > refuses all food that is not completely smooth. Anything solid he just > opens his mouth and lets if fall out. Anything thickened or grainy > makes him gag. His face turns all red and he will sometimes vomit. He > will eat a variety of purreed food including vegetables, fruits and > yogurt. The issue isn't pickiness or an unwillingness to eat. It is > only an issue of not chewing. > > I've looked at websites and read books but I can't find any advice for > the child who can't chew. Everything is oriented toward the picky eater. > > Can anyone point me in the right direction? > > Thanks > -Kathy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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