So, apparently, tongue thrust is simply a protruding tongue and open mouth posture. I was mistaken in the belief that it was a tendency to push the food out of ones mouth (which is common for all babies). With that being said, I'm not sure if Josiah has this issue or not. He certainly doesn't have it to the same degree as some I've seen.
None-the-less, I had read about a technique (for feeding) which teaches a young child to keep their tongue in their mouth. If you watched the video in yesterday's post, you'll see that I used it there. The technique is simple. You feed your child holding the spoon sideways to their mouth. You allow them to retrieve the food from the spoon that way. You turn the spoon 180 degrees, 3x, until the food is gone. This teaches the baby to keep their tongue in their mouth while eating. In the video, it is demonstrated (and seems to work quite well).
The following page shows great pics, demonstrating the technique. It was the source I used & is very helpful:
http://gotdownsyndrome.blogspot.com/2011/09/spoon-feeding-to-discourage-tongue.html
Today, Josiah will meet with the feeding specialist. We will have a feeding session so that she may observe him eating. I'm curious to see hear her thoughts.
I'll update you later :)
Welcome. I was inspired to write this blog while pregnant with my son, Josiah. At 18 weeks gestation, Josiah was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. He had open heart surgery at 3 months and has had RSV twice. He is now 21 months old. He and his two older brothers amaze us everyday. Josiah was not a mistake, nor is he a regret. He is a miracle and the light of our lives. We share with you this beautiful life we have been blessed with.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Feeding and Tongue Thrusting (not what I thought)
Labels:
baby shower,
down syndrome,
DS,
eating,
palate,
spoon,
T21,
thrusting,
tongue,
tongue thrust,
Trisomy 21
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