Complex Feeding Issues: Sensory, Motor, and Behavior Techniques for Autism, Cerebral Palsy and other Developmental Delays

CPD

Handouts

Faculty

Jessica Hunt, OTR/L Related seminars and products

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Jessica Hunt, OTR/L, is well-known for her experience in treating pediatric sensory processing disorders in both the home and clinical settings. She serves children by bringing her feeding expertise directly into the home setting through her company J.L. Hunt Therapeutics. Previously Jessica worked for 10 years at Kaufman Children’s Center as the director of occupational therapy and sensory integration programs, and then as the director of feeding and oral motor programs. She is certified in sensory integration, receiving her Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) certification in 2008, and studied with Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR, who is nationally recognized for sensory research, education, and treatment.

Jessica received her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Wayne State University in 2003. She gained expertise in “picky eating,” oral-motor therapy through trainings that include, the Beckman Protocol, and Talk Tools, behaviors issues with feeding, feeding strategies for children who have autism, and treating medically challenging children. She is also trained in craniofacial therapy, advanced training in Therapeutic Listening System, and Handwriting without Tears. Jessica is also the notable recipient of the 2011 Michigan Occupational Therapy Association Award of Excellence.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Jessica Hunt has an employment relationship with MetroEHS. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Jessica Hunt has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Objectives

1. Evaluate how sensory processing, behavior and oral motor skills impact or interfere with each child’s ability to eat.
2. Role Play how to implement sensory techniques during and prior to meal times to address difficulties such as not wanting to touch certain foods or sitting at the table.
3. Implement oral motor exercises and strategies to promote feeding patterns such as rotary chewing pattern, lip closure and tongue lateralization.
4. Analyze the misconceptions about feeding that impact special needs children.
5. Evaluate the behaviors that interfere with eating and devise strategies to address the behavior.
6. Support and guide the parents, caregivers and other family members through often emotional or stressful meal times.

Outline

• Complex Feeding Issues
  • Common misconceptions explained
  • Overlap of sensory processing skills, oral motor skills and behaviors
  • Normal development key points
• Evaluation of Feeding Skills
  • Observations: sensory or behavior responses
  • Oral motor evaluation for jaw, lips, and tongue strength and range of motion for feeding
  • Foods that give you information quick
  • Quick sensory tasks for a sensory profile
  • Case study: Putting it all together.
  • Video of evaluations, and case studies
• Techniques and Treatment Strategies
  • Autism
    • Address food jags
    • Make food fun: sticks, cubes and more to increase oral motor skills
    • Address mealtime behaviors such as not sitting and throwing food
    • Easy ways to regulate arousal at the table using breathing and proprioceptive input
    • Systemic desensitization to address tactile over responsivity
    • Video case study
  • Cerebral Palsy
    • Oral motor exercises to promote rotary chewing, tongue lateralization and lip closure
    • Easy techniques to Increase under responsivity
    • Tone management for increased range of motion in lips and cheeks
    • Hand to mouth connection
    • Handling and seating techniques
    • Exercises to decrease tongue thrust
    • Sensory input to increase oral motor muscle responsivity
    • Stretching the oral facial muscle to regulate
    • tone for chewing and straw drinking
    • Video case examples
  • Other Development Delays (Down Syndrome, Failure to Thrive, and Global Delays)
    • Easy sensory techniques for children with decreased vision and cortical vision impairment
    • Address cognitive delays using sensory processing and motor skills
    • Oral motor exercises and “mealtime concepts” for children who do not eat by mouth
    • Failure to thrive: make fun food and increase interest
    • Video case examples
  • Promote Carry- Over at Home
    • Education of family and caregiver on complexity of feeding
    • Create peaceful mealtime at home through routine
    • Easy oral motor exercises during play and mealtimes
    • Easy sensory activities to promote attention and regulation during mealtime

Target Audience