Any LOs with sensory issues, particularly eating?

[lkmiscnet]

I have a 12 mo old born at 35.5 wks. He spent almost 3 wks in the NICU due to needing the lowest dose of O2 and feeding issues.

He did start PT once a week when he was 5 mo old (chron age) for 3 months because he was behind in head control and rolling over (I think mainly due to me holding him while laying down all the time and him hating tummy time) However, in his particular situation, nothing was gained by the therapy and it was a waste of time and money, so we pulled him out. He would cry the entire hour and there was little to nothing the PT could do with him or to properly evaluate him. He just didn't like being there and being handled by a stranger. Even a sub PT had the same issue. In any event, he caught up very quickly though, which DH and I thought would happen in due time. He is crawling and pulling up to stand now.

The PT always suspected he had sensory issues. I did some googling of it and found out some of the symptoms are hating to have their teeth brushed/wiped and having their face wiped. Check, check to both. He also has been very slow to accept foods with significant texture and definitely is not ready for finger foods, despite 6 months of solids. He is making progress though, as he will feed himself lentils and very, very small fruit chunks. So, again, I think he will catch up.

That said, I want to make sure that I'm not setting him up for any unforeseen issues in the future in case he does have sensory issues.

I'm curious to know what treatments are done for sensory issues like those mentioned above, particularly feeding issues, and if any of you have had treatment for your LO for similar issues, what was done?

I did contact the EI in my state and am awaiting their initial evaluation appt.

[hdirks]

my daughter is 14 months old and has similar issues. While she is still undiganosed and has global delays among other things. She just started to sit up on her own and is just now tolerating small soft table food. We started Occupational therapy for her feeding issues and it has helped TREMENDOUSLY! she is almost caught up to where she should be (eating wise anyways).

One thing that helped her a lot was buying her a small electric toothbrush for kids and just letting her play with it. She also had a hypersensitive gag reflex and for the longest time couldn't handle textured foods at all. Within one week of having this toothbrush (which became her favorite toy as well) she started eating textured foods. Yesterday she actually ate chicken nuggets and a small bit of pizza! and for her that is amazing.

So, I would try an electric toothbrush becuase it worked WONDERS for her and maybe look into OT as well. We love ours and unlike PT, she is only here to basically help her eat so she doesn't cry with her like she does the PT.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

[~cassie]

My oldest(5 yrs) has a lot of sensory issues with regards to food. Always has and I never really noticed it till he was 3.5 yrs old. He gags on a lot of food and refuses to try most anything.

[Wild Lupine]

Was your son on an ng tube or a g tube for feeding when he was in the ICU? Babies who are tube fed, even for a little while, can become very hypersensitive to textures. OT can help a lot with this; it is a very common issue among premies and OTs who work in early intervention see it frequently. My son had oral sensitivities for a long time and he made great progress with an OT. Within a few months he went from refusing to put anything but a bottle nipple in his mouth to sampling all sorts of different tastes and textures. (Unfortunately once he started putting food in his mouth it became clear he has a swallowing disorder, too, but that's another story.)

[lkmiscnet]

He spent 19 days in the NICU and was on a nasogastric tube for about 15 days. It still breaks my heart to think about how he spent his first 3 weeks of life in the NICU. He also had to be vented for his first 24 hours of life and was on a CPAP.

I would love to know more about what an OT does with an LO with sensory eating issues.

Also, did your LO's exhibit problems with having their teeth cleaned or faces/noses wiped?

Ironically, my DH, out of the blue, let our DS play with his crest spinbrush and said he loved it. So, I got another toothbrush head for him, but when I used it to brush his teeth, it actually caused his gums to bleed, so I figured it must be too rough for him even though the bristles are extra soft. The ones for toddlers must be even softer. I will have to look into a child's electric brush. I think Summer Infant makes one. Don't know if it's any good or not.

He still won't let me brush his teeth. I end up having to wipe them with a washcloth while he cries through it. Not fun.

[Wild Lupine]

Originally Posted by lkmiscnet

He spent 19 days in the NICU and was on a nasogastric tube for about 15 days. It still breaks my heart to think about how he spent his first 3 weeks of life in the NICU. He also had to be vented for his first 24 hours of life and was on a CPAP.

I would love to know more about what an OT does with an LO with sensory eating issues.

Also, did your LO's exhibit problems with having their teeth cleaned or faces/noses wiped?

Poor little guy! s

His OT sat with him at the table with a bunch of Little People toys, some food, and spoon, and a Nuk brush. She took turns 'feeding' the Little People and DS and had him feed the People, too, and eventually he started letting more into his mouth.

Having an older sister helped, too. She would brush her teeth and DS would insist on doing so, too. That one still can be a struggle, though. And yes, he hates having his face washed or nose wiped, though it has gotten better over time.

[KimPM]

Originally Posted by ~cassie

My oldest(5 yrs) has a lot of sensory issues with regards to food. Always has and I never really noticed it till he was 3.5 yrs old. He gags on a lot of food and refuses to try most anything.

This was my DS, and I noticed that by 10 months old he was not taking any solids, not even trying, gagging and spitting out everything. After a year of useless EI, they sent out a speech therapist (did not do feeding) and an OT who did just a little feeding therapy...I searched and searced and finally found a great speech therapist who did feeding therapy. She worked inside his mouth with textured items and helped him lear to chew (he had motor issues there). Once that was working, she started working on play-based feeding therapy. We started where he was comfortable, and just tried all kinds of play to get him comfortable around food and even just touching food. We did some brusing desensitization of the hands. The hands and mouth are connected in regards to texture sensitivity.