Sensory Oral Motor Approach to Feeding (SOS Approach to Feeding)
When Children Won’t Eat: Picky Eaters vs. Problem Feeders
Sometimes, discerning the difference between a “picky eater” and a problem feeder can be difficult. Determining whether or not your child is even a “picky eater” to begin with isn’t necessarily simple. It could just be a hiccup in their developing tastes, or a little phase they’re going through. But if your child is a picky eater or a problem feeder, they will likely require support to learn how to eat a more varied diet. If you’re concerned about a potentially “picky eater” in your life, read these common questions and learn whether SOS Approach to Feeding can help your child.
Picky Eaters vs. Problem Feeders
If you were to make a list of all of the foods that your child eats, how many foods would be on that list?
Does your child eat the same food over and over, then suddenly stop eating that food (Food Jag)? Will they accept that food again at some point in the future, or is that food typically lost?
What happens if you put a new food on their plate?
Do they eat at least one food from most nutrition (proteins, vegetables, etc.) and texture (purees, soft foods, chewy foods, etc.) categories?
What does their plate look like at meals compared to the rest of the family’s?
How hard is it for them to learn about new foods?
How often has your child been reported as a “picky eater” at well-child check-ups?
Discover the differences between Picky Eaters vs Problem Feeders with the Picky Eaters vs Problem Feeders Questionnaire.
Talk Tools Feeding Therapy: A Sensory-Motor Approach
TalkTools® offers professional therapists opportunities to learn and train in innovative and solution based therapy techniques. Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) uses a hierarchical based approach to improve speech clarity and feeding skills in individuals of all ages and across diagnoses. These innovative techniques focus on motor movement activities used to improve phonation, resonation, and speech clarity. Combined with a tactile-sensory approach, OPT provides a comprehensive solution to a variety of speech and feeding issues. OPT involves the use of therapy tools to train and transition muscle movements for speech production. Our techniques, applied in combination with the tools, make the difference in client’s lives.
Oral Placement Therapy is a speech therapy which utilizes a combination of: (1) auditory stimulation, (2) visual stimulation and (3) tactile stimulation to the mouth to improve speech clarity. OPT is an important addition to traditional speech treatment methods for clients with placement and movement deficits. It is a tactile-proprioceptive teaching technique which accompanies traditional therapy. Traditional therapy is primarily auditory and visual. Clients with motor and/or sensory impairments benefit from tactile and proprioceptive components because speech is a tactile-proprioceptive act. OPT is used to improve articulator awareness, placement (dissociation, grading, and direction of movement), stability, and muscle memory; all of these are necessary for the development of speech clarity.
How does it work?
OPT teaches oral structural placement to clients who cannot produce or imitate speech sounds using traditional auditory or visual input. For these clients, it is critical to expand speech sound production from phonemes and other similar oral movements the client can already produce. Once a client can produce a targeted speech sound using traditional auditory or visual input, speech therapy can progress in a more typical manner.