CARDINAL BABY
Baby Sensory Motor Groups are coming soon!
Infant Health
Pre and post frenectomy care:
Bodywork is a necessary part of pre and post operative care associated with Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs). TOTs can include a tongue tie, lip tie, and buccal ties. Babies with TOTs often have oral motor dysfunction which impacts infant health and interferes with feeding, sleeping, and breathing. TOTs can also impact the structure of the musculoskeletal system as children grow. We provide craniosacral therapy in conjunction with oral motor re-education techniques to both prep the baby’s mouth and body for the procedure, as well as to help with recovery and re-learning motor patterns for successful feeding and healthy breathing.
Some signs/symptoms of TOTs include:
Difficulty latching or staying latched (to breast or bottle)
Clicking sound while feeding
Milk dripping out of the mouth while feeding
Reflux
Open mouth posture
Tension throughout the body
A high narrow palate
Difficulty holding a pacifier in the mouth
Pain for mom while breastfeeding
Feeding / Oral Motor
Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to Feeding (SOS):
The SOS Approach is a results-driven feeding program with 30 years of proven clinical experience helping children learn the skills they need to eat well.
Values of the SOS Approach include:
Starting with each child’s and family’s unique strengths to help children learn to eat at a pace that works best for their body, using intrinsic motivation to help build skills for eating,
Following typical development as our “blueprint and map” to help teach the skills for eating, while recognizing each child’s individual neural capacity, learning abilities, physical needs and environment may mean that they have a different path,
Using clinical reasoning to choose foods to help a child learn the skills needed to eat a varied and nutritious diet in a manner that respects their unique strengths and differences,
Engaging the child in play-with-a-purpose (matched to that child’s cognitive age and interests) to support skill development. We playfully invite the children to join us in a journey about learning to eat, and
Helping to educate society on the research behind feeding challenges.
The SOS Approach Utilizes Systematic Desensitization to teach a child new skills in a manner that respects the child’s readiness to learn those skills. This is very different than other programs using extinction, exposure, or negative reinforcement. When systematic desensitization is used correctly, the child is always in charge of the pace of progress. A child is invited to play with an adult moving up and down a series of Steps to Eating based on the child’s interest, engagement and comfort level with the play. The therapist continuously evaluates the child and responds to the child’s cues.