Oral+Motor+Information+for+self+regulation

=Do you have a kid who chews on everything? Read these! Many of us self-regulate using oral strategies, so help your child find what works for them.=

PROBLEMS WITH ORAL SENSORY PROCESSING
Some children struggle with processing and responding to the oral sensory information they encounter in everyday life. They may have a heightened sensitivity (hypersensitivity or defensiveness) to oral input, causing them to be resistant to oral sensory experiences like trying new foods or brushing their teeth. They may choke or gag during these experiences. These children are often described as “picky eaters” and may have an extremely limited diet,restricting themselves to only a few familiar foods. Children with oral sensory processing issues may also refuse to use utensils to eat, disliking the feeling of a spoon or fork in their mouths. Their resistance to oral sensory experiences can be accompanied by extreme emotional reactions (e.g. tantrums, fear, running away), making mealtimes and dental hygiene very difficult. These children may be referred to specialized feeding clinics for aversions and to expand their diets and tolerances.

Other children experience decreased sensitivity to oral sensory input (hyposensitivity). These children may require //more// oral sensory input in order to help them organize their behavior and pay attention. They may bite, chew on, or mouth non-food objects (clothing, hands, fingers,pencils, toys) and even try to bite others. These children may require the use of chewy toys like Chewigem to prevent this type of behavior. They may make lots of noise with their mouths for extra sensory input (clicking, humming, buzzing), to the point of annoying or distracting the people around them. Sometimes children who are seeking out more oral sensory input will stuff their mouths with food at mealtimes. Decreased sensitivity to oral input can also lead to difficulty with awareness of the movements of the mouth, including coordinating the movements needed for chewing effectively and drinking from a cup or a straw. It may affect oral motor planning and sound and speech production.

OUR FAVORITE ORAL SENSORY SUGGESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Oral sensory input can affect a child’s levels of arousal and potentially even change behaviors,helping a child become more organized and responsive. **Alerting oral sensory activities** can bring more awareness and provide the sensory input kidsneed to focus and attend better at home and at school. Some examples of alerting oral sensoryactivities include:

-Vibration(battery powered toothbrush, vibrating toys on cheeks/lips)

-Play with mouth noises: buzzing like a bee, clicking tongue, humming, blowing raspberries

Play with making faces in a mirror or imitating others’ funny faces: open mouth wide, stickingtongue out, smiling, frowning, filling cheeks up with air

-Eating crunchy snacks (e.g. apples, chips, pretzels, popcorn, raw veggies, toast, grahamcrackers, granola)

-Eating snacks with sour/sweet tastes (e.g. Warheads, sour gummy worms, grapefruit ororange wedges, lemonade)

-Eating salty snacks (e.g. chips, pretzels, nuts) -Snacking on cold foods (e.g. ice chips, popsicles,frozen grapes)

-Trying snacks with intense tastes and temperatures (Hot Tamales, carbonated beverages) **Calming oral sensory activities** can help to calm the body, helping kids to regulate theirbehavior and function more appropriately for learning and other daily tasks. Some examples ofcalming oral sensory activities include:

-Sucking thicker liquids (milk shakes, smoothies, applesauce, pudding) through a straw

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Drinking from a water bottle with a straw or opening that requires sucking

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Resistive chewing

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Gum or chewy candy (Charleston chews, caramel suckers, Starburst, Skittles, gummy bears,licorice)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Dried fruits, fruit roll ups, marshmallows, oranges, raisins

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Blowing bubbles, blowing up balloons, or blowing whistles and instruments

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Deep breaths in and out slowly through both the nose AND mouth

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Maintaining a sound for as long as possible (e.g. singing a note for as long as possible with onebreath)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Singing or humming

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">-Using chewy toys such as products from [|Chewigem USA].



=For more information on calming/alerting activities and sensory diets, check this out:= []