In this article in Norwegian published in Media Planet, Line Avers discusses the need in many cases to look at the child´s foundational skills for feeding and speech.

"In feeding therapy just as in speech therapy, it's about doing exercises that contribute to strengthen mouth muscles and improve oral motor skills," says TalkTools® Instructor in Norway, Line Avers.

"Det er mange barn som sliter med å spise, og det henger ofte sammen med nedsatt munnmotorikk. Fysioterapi i munnen kan være en løsning.

Det er godt dokumentert at barn med Downs Syndrom og Celebral Parese ofte sliter med å spise. Årsaken er gjerne at musklene er svake, særlig i kjeven, og disse barna tyr ofte til myk mat, unngår brødskorper og bruker ofte lang tid på måltidet. De har ikke gode nok tyggeferdigheter, fenomenet henger gjerne sammen med dårlige språkferdighet og gjelder også barn uten disse diagnosene, ifølge logoped ved Barnas språksenter, Line Avers.

Motoriske øvelser

– Akkurat som ved språkproblemer handler det om å gjøre øvelser som bidrar til en bedre muskulatur og motorikk i munnen. Det kan gjøres både hjemme og i barnehage/skole, og er effektivt i kombinasjon med spesifikk spisetrening. Det er viktig å begynne tidlig, og vi jobber alltid sammen med foreldre og barnehage/skole når vi følger opp, sier Avers.

Sensoriske problemer

En annen årsak er at mange barn også strever med sensorikk, og derfor prøver å unngå mat med klumper. Det er gjerne forbundet med negative opplevelser, og resultatet kan da bli et ensidig kosthold. Både i forhold til det sensoriske og det motoriske er det viktig at treningen foregår 1:1, ifølge Line Avers."

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Line Kristiansen Avers, MS, SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has over 12 years of experience specializing in topics within Apraxia, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), and Oral Placement Therapy. Line teaches classes in Apraxia and AAC at the University of Oslo, lectures at numerous seminars within Norway, and is a member of the TalkTools® speakers bureau. Line heads a private oral-motor, speech and language clinic in Norway, BARNAS språksenter. She has an M.S. from Penn State University and was a Fulbright Scholar.

Hint: if you don't read Norwegian, click right and select "Translate to English". 

In light of August being National Immunization Month we want to discuss the SLP’s and OT’s role in infection control and prevention. The incidence of communicable diseases, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), hepatitis B (HBV), herpes simples, tuberculosis, influenza, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are increasing.  These diseases, in addition to other infections, are contagious and can be life-threatening.  Considering the increased prevalence of infectious diseases and the expanded scope of practice for therapists, infection control and prevention of disease transmission are important concerns for the practicing clinician.

Not only are you in direct contact with your clients, therapists may handle hearing aids, earmolds, headphones, earphones, tongue blades, toys, TalkTools, and other instruments that come in direct or indirect contact with their clients. As a result, it is important that they protect themselves and their clients from infection. Infection control programs can include routine preventative measures (hand washing, protective barriers, and immunizations) in addition to antimicrobial processes (cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend certain practices for the prevention of blood-borne pathogens and other bodily fluids. Training on these guidelines is mandated annually for all individuals who are recognized as at-risk to occupational exposure for blood-borne pathogens. Standard Precautions include, but are not limited to, hand hygiene, isolation precautions, wearing personal protective equipment, and sterilization of reusable equipment.

Although we may consider this to be obvious, hand hygiene is the most effective way to prevent infection and is often considered the first line of defense against germs. Hand hygiene is important for the safety of health care workers and the patients they treat. Beyond proper hand sanitation is the implementation of barriers, or gloves.

References:

http://www.asha.org/slp/infectioncontrol/

DC Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings

Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5116a1.htm

INFECTION CONTROL POLICY AND PROCEDURES

University of Wisconsin Speech & Hearing Clinic Speech & Language Pathology