Re: New To Board/mouthing

April 23, 2008

mouthing is a normal developmental stage. Many of our children

go through stages late which as they say " better late then never "

Below is an old archive on chewing (mouthing) as " oral exploration "

is a normal stage babies/toddlers go through. Many here have children

that go through this stage much later than their peers -and as

you'll find in the archives many start once on EFAs (and this sign is

reported as a regression) Not a regression -encourage it- but find

appropriate " teething " type items for your child!

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Thu Mar 4, 2004 8:16 pm

Subject: Re: STRANGE NEW BEHAVIOR;Chewing on Clothing

Hi Kris!

I think I " sense " some more great news coming soon from you now that

your son is off Reglan and the EFAs are working! Here is an archive

on this topic which does come up often. " Oral exploration " is a

normal phase infants and toddlers go through prespeech that most of

our children miss or don't fully go through if this is the reason.

Better late than never as they say! And remember -this too

shall pass and your good news will not go " unnoticed " this time, so

let us know!:

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Mon Feb 9, 2004 10:54 pm

Subject: Re: IOM testimony/teething and biting

Hi Laurel!

I again am not quick to jump and assume that signs that others view

as " bad " are as they appear. There are important stages all

children go through in developing speech, like oral exploration and

teething, and babbling etc. Many of our children either skipped

these vital stages or didn't experience them fully. Going through

them later is better than never.

I would not view chewing on clothes and other things as a sign of

PDD (it " could " be oral exploration -teething) Now biting -that's

just wrong and all children need to learn that's just not

acceptable. But I know of many " normal " kids that bit. Kids can

bite others for many reasons -and for late talkers -one could be

frustration. Either way -rest assure -this is either normal or

almost the entire population have children that " overcame " PDD.

" Biting is quite common among toddlers and is a very normal reaction

for this age group...Most of the time, though, biting occurs because

a child is frustrated and does not know what else to do "

http://www.nncc.org/Guidance/dc16_children.bite.html (great

suggestions on how to stop the biting, but for the " no " one -teach

your child and all around him a sign that means " no " that has to be

accepted just like the word)

EFAs cause surges in many areas -receptive, expressive, focus,

attention etc. ...or in rare cases they don't work and 'just' keep

you healthy. And I guess because you are the second who brought up

the teething aspect -we can add that to the list of early signs EFAs

are working. Anyway -below is an archive which kind of sums up the

rest.

" Believe it or not -this one is in the archives. This was considered

> yet another 'bad sign' that is really a good sign. Some children

> never fully

> go through the teething stage which is a healthy part of oral

> exploration

> important for

> developing speech.

http://www.feeding.com/images/Oral%20Exploration.PDF

Also

> you say he's only been on the EFAs for 6

> days -it would take one day to three weeks for most to see the

first

> surges.

>

> What you can do is lower or stop the ProEFA if this really bothers

> you -and

> provide a more appropriate teething material for your child to chew

> on. Gum perhaps?

>

> If not -here are some others:

> http://www.new-vis.com/fym/papers/p-feed1.htm "

Article on thumb sucking:

Thumb Plays Crucial Role in Speech

By , MAT, SLP

It's not just for gratification or pacification. There is a greater

purpose for thumb-sucking that we now know begins in the womb for

most babies, " says speech pathologist P. Streicher. " That

purpose is to integrate the bodily systems for a growth and

development pattern that conforms to the design of the human body. "

Thanks to technological advances, many mothers who were once

ridiculed for claiming they could hear their unborn babies sucking

have been vindicated. Sonograms have provided evidence that most

babies begin thumb-sucking in the womb.

Now Streicher is providing the evidence that thumb-sucking

establishes neurological pathways crucial for life's first learning

experience–feeding at the breast–and for speech and language

development.

After graduating from the University of Southern California in 1959,

Streicher entered the field of speech and hearing to search for the

cause of speech disorders. He began his career in the Torrance, CA,

school district, where he conducted a three-year study on speech

disorders, working with dentists, psychologists and other speech

pathologists. He found that the common denominator to speech, dental

and mental factors was oral habits.

In 1968 Streicher established speech therapy programs for parochial

schools in Southern California. He continued to involve dentists in

his evaluations and assessments. He expanded his practice in 1976 to

include the dental offices of Arthur Berke, DDS, a specialist in

pediatric dentistry and orthodontics. Streicher and Berke documented

oral habits and their impact on speech.

From 1982 until his retirement in 1995, Streicher conducted seminars

and training programs for dental and speech professionals. During

this time, he also continued his practice with Berke and added

services for three more Southern California communities at the

dental offices of Loomis, Yoshikawa and Jay Vorah.

Streicher spent 40 years researching and building clinical proof for

his theory that things done to the mouth habitually require the body

to adapt. He found that the body adapts by establishing reflex

patterns that redirect function and growth patterns for survival.

The body adapts to the way it is used.

Sonograms and suck marks on skin tissue show us that not all unborn

babies find the thumb. There are babies who begin sucking on other

parts, like their fingers, toes or kneecaps. Those who miss the

thumb and establish a suck pattern with another body part are not

prepared for successful feeding, according to Streicher. It takes

the correct thumb suck to establish the suck and swallow reflex

dictated by design.

Neurological patterns that do not conform to design can be

established in the womb or any time after birth. Therefore, correct

oral function can be thrown off course, causing a defective speech

pattern to develop at any age.

Most speech problems begin at a very young age for children who

acquire an oral habit. Streicher found that habits involving cloth

are the most common cause of delayed speech. Cloth literally wipes

out speech sounds. The further back in the mouth the cloth is

shoved, the more speech sounds are affected.

Examples of cloth habits include sucking on a favored baby blanket

or bedding, sucking water out of washcloths, and chewing or sucking

on clothing or a stuffed toy.

Streicher has defined oral habits as anything that goes into, up

against or around the oral structure persistently and consistently.

" We cause our bodies to alter the way they function to accommodate

our habits, " he said. " I'm talking about specific types of habits–

ones that involve incorrect use of a body part or foreign object. "

Body parts can be fingers, fingernails, toes, skin, cheeks, lips or

the tongue habitually sucked or bitten. Foreign objects often

misused in a similar fashion include cloth, jewelry, hair clips,

pens, carpenter nails and toys. The list of possibilities is

endless, and no two habits are identical. They vary as much as the

people who are born with or acquire them.

A number of cases have been documented that show how varying speech

and dental growth patterns conform to habit patterns.1 A pebble in

the shoe affects the way a person walks depending on where it is

positioned in the shoe, explained Streicher. Likewise, the position

of a body part or object in the mouth determines how we talk.

Although no two habits are the same, there are similarities.

Streicher once gathered together six children of different cultural

backgrounds for a school dentist to see. He asked the dentist if he

knew what the children's common habit was that had caused their

dental arches to widen. When the dentist was unable to identify the

habit, Streicher explained that each child sucked on four fingers.

How do four fingers holding the tongue down affect speech? Do a

little experiment. Put four fingers of one hand over your tongue and

talk. What does your speech sound like? Imagine doing this enough to

train your tongue to flatten whenever you speak. Think about nerve

integration and functions other than speech.

While engaged in habits, individuals continue to swallow, breathe

and think. Many walk, talk, play, work, and sleep while doing their

habit. Their bodies adapt, and an adjustment in coordination and

balance takes place. Bone grows in the direction muscles direct it.

Muscle function is trained by habits.

At least 85 percent of all orthodontic patients are nail-biters or

former nail-biters, Streicher found. Nail-biting trains the jaw to

function off-center and with tension and often leads to secondary

habits of gritting and grinding.

" It only takes one week of biting nails–perhaps just that first week

of kindergarten before a teacher or parents gets the child to stop–

to train a jaw shift, " stated Streicher. " The nails don't have to be

bitten to get a nail-biting pattern. It may be a habit of biting the

cuticles, cleaning the nails, or nibbling on skin tissue. "

Nail habits are performed in many ways. Some individuals bite every

nail in the same place, thereby shifting the jaw in the same

direction and bringing the same teeth edge to edge as they bite each

nail. Some bite the nails of one hand to one side and then shift to

the other side for the other hand, while others bite each nail in a

different place. The jaw shift seen in speech conforms to the habit

pattern. Streicher can visualize the pattern without seeing the

habit performed; the wear on the teeth and the jaw movement during

speech paints the picture.

The amount and direction of pressure against the teeth and dental

arches determines how they become misshapen and how teeth wear down

prematurely. For teeth to meet edge to edge in any biting habit, the

jaw is used off-center. Many individuals develop a secondary habit

of holding their jaw off-center with teeth edge to edge as they

perform various tasks or in response to mental stress.

The jaw grows in the direction it is used, Streicher discovered.

Habits that constantly position the jaw forward will grow the

individual into a dental Class III. A functional Class III describes

a jaw that moves forward frequently but is not held in the forward

position long enough to cause a structural change. Muscles holding a

jaw to one side cause the jaw and face to grow crooked.

For diagnostic purposes Streicher considers that normal growth and

balance attain symmetry. Correct facial muscle training begins in

the womb with the proper thumb suck.

" It is natural for the fetus to place a thumb in the mouth at a

particular time, " he said. " The growth and position of the fetus

allows this to happen. The design of the body allows a little elbow

to bend and a little thumb to reach the mouth. It is supposed to

happen. There is a purpose. "

Is all thumb-sucking done correctly? No. Streicher reported the case

of one child who wrapped an arm over his head and inserted his thumb

upside-down into the opposite side of his mouth.1

Some children suck their thumb to one side or turn the thumb over.

Some suck with enough force to leave thumb imprints in their palates

or to form a nail slit. Anything imaginable is possible.

The correctly positioned thumb reaches the palate without bending at

the knuckle. Fingers curl over the nose to maintain center position

for the thumb. The tongue shape and the jaw position conform to the

thumb. The front of the tongue rests against the inside lower front

arch. The remainder billows out, touching the palate without pulling

away from the floor of the mouth. When the thumb is removed, the

tongue fills in the oral cavity, resting with equal pressure against

the inner walls of the arches (and later teeth), palate and floor.

Thus, the tongue supports the dental arches and teeth from inside

the framework.

Facial muscles that are relaxed and function correctly provide equal

pressure and support from the outside. With equal pressure applied,

and no habits to create an imbalance, the result is nicely rounded

arches and aligned teeth.

" It's time to face the music, " observed Streicher. " The speech and

dental professions have been teaching the wrong tongue position. A

low success rate supports this claim as well as my claim that

current speech therapy and dental treatments address only symptoms.

Speech pathologists aim for controlling a dysfunctional pattern, and

dentists use man-made force to combat the forces of nature. "

An overview of speech and dental history explains how current

treatments have come about.1 While Streicher acknowledges that these

treatments came about because causes were unknown, he warns

professionals of the dangers of making assumptions. He credits

myofunctional therapists and orofacial myologists for the

connections they have made, but he points out what they have missed.

This month, Streicher is offering a full-day presentation at the

Annual Convention of the International Association of Orofacial

Myology (IAOM) in Detroit, MI. He will explain how causative habits

are identified and how the thumb can be used to retrain the body to

function according to design.

" I am not teaching thumb-sucking, " he said. " In fact, I use thumb

therapy to stop any suck pattern that has remained past weaning. "

At 73, Streicher is retired from clinical practice. He now writes

about his lifelong research and provides training with the help of

several therapists who have trained under him.

Reference

1. Streicher, J.P. & , K.B. (2001). The Pebble in the Shoe,

Enumclaw WA: WinePress Publishing.

, a speech-language pathologist for nearly 20 years,

was Streicher's first speech pathologist trainee in 1984. She co-

authored his book and is now preparing to publish a supplement about

the therapy and how it works for stuttering and a book on stress-

tension-pain disorders.

=====

April 23, 2008

-

Thanks.. REbecca has ALWAYS mouthed things.. From the time she figured out how

to put things into her mouth, until now.. She is 2 1/2 and is worse then our

dog.. She will put shoes in her mouth, anything she can find... At first we

figured it was normal, no big deal but it never stopped... We have some items we

bought from an Autism store - a necklace and a chewy toy thing... but she still

goes for whatever she can find... I have heard that autistic children have this

tendancy as well (yet another autistic sign we see in our daughter)... I know

it's all oral exploration, but when will it all stop????

Cristal

gtzellner@...

Re: IOM testimony/teething and biting