I was just wondering if you would have any suggestions on how to cope with a 3 year old who is just now mouthing everything?

Iain totally skipped the stage of putting things in his mouth when younger due to major oral aversions (prior non eater, still will turn off food for weeks on end at times). We have a diagnosis of PDD NOS and have begun screening in a treatment centre here, but therapy is a long time away yet (I am in Canada). The OT and SLP who screened him suggested we begin to do pressure therapy on his mouth by pressing our thumb or finger above his lip (below his nose), on his chin, and on both sides of his mouth back where his molars would be to trigger sensation. He pockets his food and now will use his finger to sweep food back and forth. He also puts in HUGE amounts of food (giving me visions of his choking to death) and the OT explained it is because he needs to feel where the food is. I am still awaiting the report for his sensory screen, but know it was not able to be completed due to his having a bad day and not being co-operative. She did however, notice many feeding issues and stated he does not seem to know 'where his body is in space".

Since we began the pressure on his mouth, I was shocked to find he now solicits it from us. He LOVES the feeling of pressure and grabs your hand to have you do it to him. He has always needed massage (directs your hands about and it is the one thing that calms him) but he has in the past never allowed anyone by his face. He has now allowed me to give him food off a spoon 4 times whereas in the past I have not been able to do that since he was around 16 months of age. They told us to provide brushing in his mouth, concentrating on the cheeks but he will refuse that. I still brush his teeth, but it is a complete battle as I have to hold him down to do this. He will not willingly let anyone go into his mouth.

So, my main problem right now is that I seem to have a 3 year old who is mouthing things like a baby. He is often found with his fingers in his mouth and will now put other objects in as well. It is bizarre to find myself baby proofing for him and it is near impossible with two older brothers about. He has chewed on pretty much everything, including an extension cord. :hairpull: It is hard to distract him.

Do you have any suggestions as to what I might be able to do to help him ride through this? Is this common for a kid who missed that oral stage to go through? If so, why now? He is eating well at the moment (still supplemented with nutren jr with fibre) but I just do not quite know what to do. It is as if a light switch was turned on and he is now exploring his mouth as much as possible. Do I get him a teething ring? I tried and failed with one already. :oops: He has NEVER taken a pacifier, not even as an infant. When first diagnosed with GERD at 14 months of age I was instructed to try a paci and it failed miserably back then.

As I mentioned, we are possibly months away from begining therapy and any information would be much appreciated. :)

Thank you for your time. :hug:

Hi Leigh!

I apologize, but I have not received notices for questions in IRD lately. Lesley was kind enough to come find me in email land. Or, I could blame this all on turning 40 this week :sad2:

It sounds as if your OT and SLP have taught you to do Beckman exercises with Iain. It also sounds as if he has transitioned from being orally hypersensitive to having mixed sensation. He is obviously hyposensitive (not getting enough sensation thus overstuffing his mouth with food, seeking out input such as toys, and wanting you inside his mouth) on some occasions. Yet, he is again hypersensitive when you are brushing his teeth. This might be partially because he is not the one in control of the brush, which can be a noxious stimulus to any child who has GERD + an oral aversion. Did your OT do a Sensory Profile? Proprioception is knowing where your body is in space. It is an "OT" term.

Regarding the teeth brushing, have you let Iain try brushing his own teeth? Holding him down can add to his oral apphrehension and can hinder the "oral trust." What if he guides the brush? What about backing up and using a washcloth to clean his teeth?

Yes, I do have suggestions to help "ride" the oral stage Iain is going through. Pacifiers are not age appropriate, nor will they help with Iain's speech. To help Iain with his oral needs, you might consider going to the Southpaw Enterprises website and looking under oral motor toys. Z vibes or Chewy Tubes are great ways to get good oral input in. We used to order these great chewy necklaces made out of plastic. It was a little rope necklace kids could wear around their neck with a little plastic piece that kids could place in their mouth when they needed to chew. Brilliant! I will have to look for them.

Leigh, it sounds like you have made so much great progress with Iain! Keep up the great work. Oral alerting activities such as the ones given to you by your therapists are awesome. Get him some more age appropriate oral toys. Bubbles and party favors (blow toys) are great to help strengthen the oral-motor musculature used for speech production. Write back with more questions.

Robynne