Sensory Issues and OT

[thegrimdwarf]

Hi all! I've been posting over on the 'For Families' board for a couple of weeks, and I'm blown away with how generous people are when it comes to sharing wisdom and experiences.

My DS2 has been receiving ST for delay for about 3 months. About a month ago, the ST started noticing things that made her think he had some sensory issues. Her observations, combined with the fact that he's gotten absurdly picky and suddenly started gagging at the sight of foods that he used to love (pasta, soup, mashed potatoes, raisin toast), led us to getting an OT to join the therapy team. She's coming to join him for lunch on Monday.

I'm just wondering if any of you have had a child working with an OT for food issues? What does it entail? Part of me is like 'whoohoooo!' because honestly at this point, his eating habits worry me more than his lack of age-appropriate speech. But another part of me thinks I should just tackle one issue at a time (though I do tell that part of me to shut right up, since the sensory issues probably contribute to the speech delay, lol).

I guess I'm not really sure what sort of input I'm looking for, lol.... Success stories would really make me happy, though.

Thanks!

 

[wildfan1473]

DS6 went through OT for sensory issues (vestibular, proprioceptive, auditory) for over a year; that being said, none of his is oral. With all the research I did on sensory processing issues, however, led me to believe DS3 has oral issues - for example, he would prefer to eat food condiments over anything else (bbq sauce, salad dressing, etc.). I talked with the OT about it, and we both felt he wasn't severe enough to warrant OT at this time, however we did come up with some stuff to do at home to help with the sensitivities. We switched to a battery operated toothbrush, we do lots of straw-sucking (applesauce, smoothies, etc), doing art with Blo-pens, and yogurt in packages you can suck.


If you haven't already read it, the book The Out of Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz has great activities for all kinds sensory defensiveness. If it's not in your library, check to see if your early childhood center has a parent library, or maybe even the OT has it.

 

[Abharmagic]

My son was terribly orally defensive as a young baby and still now at just turning 2 he is "better" but not quite "typical" thanks to OT services.

A little back story:
-Severe reflux baby- had the gamut of tests (cookie swallow, ph monitor, etc.) was determined he was aspirating liquid. We had to thicken his formula 1 Tbl cereal per 1 oz formula- it was like eating a bowl of oatmeal at each feed.
-A 6 mos I tried baby "solids" he immediatley would gag and vomit when the spoon touched his lips. I didn't give up, I tried and tried, reintroduced- tried to keep positive- make mealtime pleasant- all the things you are told.
-At 8 mos, I sought help- his Dr. gave us a referral to Children's Hosp to see specialists- then more testing.
-He was referred for Early Intervention services- and OT came in twice a week and worked on feeding with me and him.
-My son also loves deep pressure- it's very calming for him- he was swaddled to sleep until he was over a year old- thank goodness we are done with that now.

*What did the OT do- she used a NUK brush and helped to desensitze his mouth. Apparently oral texture sensitivity is very common in reflux babies. We slowly worked on getting him to accept solids. He was a baby (8mos) and it happened fast- in about a month. After we got him accepting purees we then worked on more solid foods- crackers, small pieces of meat, cheese, etc.

-Before each session she worked on his vestibular stuff- giving him imput that helped "wake-up" his muscles. Examples are- sitting on a ball and gently rocking back and forth, swinging, deep pressure on his joints, drinking with a straw, etc.. She also played with him to check for other sensitivities- a big container of dry rice and cups to play with- pour, dump, etc- would he put his hand in and play or would he be defensive to the texture (he has no tactile defensiveness in his hands, feet, etc).

*Today Andrew eats a small variety of food- pretty much the same as all of his peers at 2 kids this age don't eat a lot of variety I find- he likes breads, pizza, bananas, apples, cheese, chicken, yogurt, crackers. I owe this to OT!!!! He still doesn't like foods that don't form a bolus in his mouth when chewed (ex- ground beef, rice) but eats a somewhat varied diet.

-He was discharged from OT in January at 20 mos old. The OT determined that he may have some texture preferences his whole life and asked if I wanted to continue. I agreed that he was doing OK and would not hesitate to re-refer him of I saw him start to reject foods or if his sensitivity began to affect his quality of life in any way.

That's our story- sorry for the book, but to talk about what an OT does for oral sensitivity it helps to have some back story on what kind of issues the OT was helping my child with. You'll find that your experience with the OT may be similar or different- but basically what they are trying to do is "Wake-up" the oral muscles, and desensitize your child's mouth to some degree to get him/her to accept and try new tectures/foods. Hope this helps.

 

[LarryBoy]

DS6 went through OT for sensory issues (vestibular, proprioceptive, auditory) for over a year; that being said, none of his is oral. With all the research I did on sensory processing issues, however, led me to believe DS3 has oral issues - for example, he would prefer to eat food condiments over anything else (bbq sauce, salad dressing, etc.). I talked with the OT about it, and we both felt he wasn't severe enough to warrant OT at this time, however we did come up with some stuff to do at home to help with the sensitivities. We switched to a battery operated toothbrush, we do lots of straw-sucking (applesauce, smoothies, etc), doing art with Blo-pens, and yogurt in packages you can suck.


If you haven't already read it, the book The Out of Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz has great activities for all kinds sensory defensiveness. If it's not in your library, check to see if your early childhood center has a parent library, or maybe even the OT has it.

Ditto to this post. Out of Sync Child and Out of Sync Child Has Fun are two terrific books. My DS 7 is autistic, and we have had many similar oral problems. My son was very low muscle tone at that age, but never had any eating issues. We have been fortunate in that regard. Chewing and sucking have always been defense mechanisms for my son. Plastic aquarium tubing (much cheaper than what's in the OT catalogs) helped get my son through his first trip to WDW. Which, by the way, is about the most therapeutic spot in the world for autistic children and children with sensory issues.

 

[thegrimdwarf]

Plastic aquarium tubing (much cheaper than what's in the OT catalogs) helped get my son through his first trip to WDW. Which, by the way, is about the most therapeutic spot in the world for autistic children and children with sensory issues.

Did he chew on the tubing? That's interesting. My son definitely soothes himself by chewing and sucking - mostly on his hands, though.


Thank you all for taking the time to respond! We've got an appointment scheduled with a developmental pediatrician in June, and I feel like it can't get here fast enough. I have so many questions, and so few resources that are 'from my experience...;, so hearing from you all has been wonderful!

 

[wildfan1473]

The tubing is definitely for chewing on. DS6 has some t-shaped tubes from his OT, but they are $7 each - you are definitely better off finding aquarium or other type of tubing. He chews when he is anxious, and I just put some string through it and tie it to his belt loop. I just throw them in the dishwasher a couple of times a week to keep them sterile. Interestingly, DS3 (who will be 4 in about 6 weeks) doesn't chew, so he doesn't like these, but he does still put everything he can get his hands on in his mouth that's small enough.