[ Post a Response | Oral/Motor and Voice ]
Posted by dscl on 9/9/2004, 9:04 pm, in reply to "Re: excessive drool -2yr old"
70.60.101.128
First of all, check the the position of the body. Are you presenting activities which require the head to be down. This creates the lips to be apart and can lead to drooling. Raise up your activities where his head is not down. What is the jaw strength, lip and cheek strength like? He obviously has an open mouth posture meaning weak lip closure. It takes jaw strength to maintain a closed oral posture. You do it to yourself. At rest your tongue tip should be on the alveolar ridge, lips closed and teeth just a tad apart. So that is your target with him. Build up his awareness since he doesn't know he is pooling and then the saliva spills out. Use a mirror to show him. If he doesn't know the concept of wet teach him, twos can be taught this, although I don't know this child's cognitive level. Then you can say, look your wet, here's a tissue or go get a tissue ( having one close by), wipe your chin/mouth. Provide oral input thru gum massage, stroking the tongue front to back, on the sides, inside the cheek, etc. Use different flavor sprays (sour and spicy), different textures. He needs lots of oral awareness and the only way to do this is to get into his mouth. Is he teething? Is he eating too many sugary foods? Does he have neurological damage that would make the saliva glands overproduce? A neurologist would the medical professional to help you here. I've had parents go to their doctor and get medication to control the drooling. There are side effects that the doctor will explain. This was a last resort for the parents and a difficult decision to make. What are the size of his tonsils and adenoids? Is his tongue in a forward position at rest? If so, he may need to see an ENT to determine if medical management is necessary. If he can blow keep doing that with a variety of whistles. Also get rid of any sippy cup use immediately and use a straw. That'll work the cheeks, lips, and tongue throughout the day. Mom has got to follow thru with oral motor exercises 3 times a day. Search the web, buy books, take courses to find out. There is plenty out there to source. Good luck!
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Thank you for sharing!