Course Description

More children than ever need early intervention and other services. And, there are not enough available services. Therapists, early interventionists, parents, medical professionals, and others have seen a sharp rise in children with delayed and/or disordered feeding, speech, and mouth development. These include children with disabilities, as well as many typically-born children who for some reason are not developing as expected. This is a literature-based, criterion-referenced course to help anyone interested in keeping and getting children, with or without disabilities, on track in feeding, speech, and mouth development. Participants learn functional, safe techniques to use in practice and to teach others. 

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will identify oral sensory-motor problems that impact feeding, speech, and mouth function in children without and with specific disabilities (e.g., autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc.)
2. Participants will identify typical and atypical anatomy/physiology and feeding/speech/mouth function.
   
3. Participants will identify appropriate treatments for feeding/speech/mouth function problems.
   
4. Participants will apply general oral massage for appropriate populations (e.g., children with oral defensiveness, oral awareness problems, tonic bite, hyperresponsive gag, etc.).
   
5. Participants will apply feeding techniques that can be safely used and taught to parents and care providers.

Content Disclosure: This presentation will focus on treatment methods related to the use of TalkTools® resources. Other similar treatment approaches will receive limited or no coverage during this lecture.

(pending AOTA approval)

TIMED AGENDA:

Session 1 – 3.0 hours

1. Key Assessment Concepts
2. Disorders We Treat
3. Useful Anatomy and Physiology
4. Sensory Processing and Motor Function
5. Typical Face and Mouth Development/Function
6. Health Problems Our Clients Encounter

Session 2 – 3.5 hours

1. Hand-Mouth Connection Activities
2. Extinguishing Detrimental Oral Habits
3. Teething and 4-Part Drooling Treatment
4. Oral Massage, Jaw, and Respiratory Experiences
5. Grading/Dissociation/Direction of Movement Activities
6. Horns, Bubbles, and Other Respiratory Work

Session 3 – 3.5 hours

1. Treatment Session Components/Suggestions/Modifications
2. Infant Breastfeeding and Bottle-Feeding
3. Spoon-Feeding
4. Cup- and Straw- Drinking
5. Taking Bites and Chewing
6. Age-Appropriate Food and Liquid Progression (Literature-Based)
7. Eating and Drinking Experience

Session 4 – 3.0 hours

1. Feeding Delays and Differences
2. Resolving Picky/Selective Eating
3. Typical Feeding Development Highlights (Literature-Based)
4. Typical Speech and Communication Development (Literature-Based)
5. Components of Intelligible Speech
6. Childhood Dysarthria and Apraxia of Speech
7. Motor Speech Treatment
8. Auditory Processing, Teamwork, and Resources