Mixing straw drinking fun with fine motor fun

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How could you get any more OT than mixing an oral motor, ADL, and fine motor activity into one.  I found these build your own straws called Pipeline at Bed Bath and Beyond, and just had to try them.  They seem to be the same thing as the Strawz that I found on Amazon too…. [Continue Reading]

Having fun with straw drinking

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Drinking from a straw can be a challenge for some kids, and it can be a scary thing for those who don’t know what to do or expect.  An OT friend of mine named Sharon mentioned that she and the kids love to use the Got Milk Magic Flavored Straws when working on straw drinking…. [Continue Reading]

Oral Sensory Seeking and Vibration

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Most of the kids that I work with that have oral sensory problems avoid oral stimulation, and avoid food. I just started seeing a young fellow that is the opposite of what I am used to. This little guy is a sensory seeker, and he seeks oral sensation. He chews on everything, and he even… [Continue Reading]

Vibration For Oral Motor Stimulation

I am seeing a little girl who enjoys eating, but she does not yet move her tongue to the side (tongue lateralization) in order to move her food around in her mouth. I will often use vibration in the mouth to stimulate more tongue and cheek movement. Sometimes I will have parents get a baby… [Continue Reading]

Why bouncing is good for eating skills

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When talking about oral-motor skills and eating, you don’t usually think immediately of bouncing on a ball as a treatment technique. Well, think again. Bouncing on a large therapy ball, either supported or unsupported, stimulates muscle co-contractions. These muscle contractions are all over the body to achieve stability while bouncing, so the bouncing on the… [Continue Reading]

Chewy Tubes

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Chewy tubes are the perfect shape and texture for practicing chewing and working on decreasing oral hypersensitivity. The long skinny shape is able to go back to the molar area in the mouth. A lot of baby toys are able to be gnawed on at the front of the mouth, but due to safety reasons… [Continue Reading]