Re: Oral Awareness/Mouthing

[Guest guest]

Kim below is an archive I just posted. So is this something he's been doing for

months/weeks/days? (may see these things after starting ProEFA or nutriiveda)

Any change in it in the past two days

~~~~~~~~~~~start of archive

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 & #65533;feeding at the breast & #65533;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 & #65533;

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 & #65533;perhaps just that first week

of kindergarten before a teacher or parents gets the child to stop & #65533;

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end of archive

Cool!

=====

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for the info, ! He's been doing it for about 3-4 weeks now.

It hasn't changed in the past 2 days- it may have even increased a bit. He's

not mouthing objects- just his hand and tongue. He grabs his tongue seeming to

think " what the heck is this thing in my mouth " ?

Kim

>

> Kim below is an archive I just posted. So is this something he's been doing

for months/weeks/days? (may see these things after starting ProEFA or

nutriiveda) Any change in it in the past two days

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~start of archive

>

> 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 & #65533;feeding at the breast & #65533;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 & #65533;

> 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 & #65533;perhaps just that first week

> of kindergarten before a teacher or parents gets the child to stop & #65533;

> 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.

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end of archive

>

> Cool!

>

> =====

>