Oral-motor skills following sensorimotor intervention in the moderately eating-impaired child with cerebral palsy

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of oral sensorimotor treatment in moderately eating-impaired children with cerebral palsy and to examine the effects of treatment on measures of growth. Six domains of feeding were examined in 35 children 4.3–13.3 years of age. Weight and skinfold measures were taken. Children were observed at lunch time, and spoon-feeding, biting, chewing, cup drinking, straw drinking, swallowing, and drooling were examined. Children underwent 20 weeks of sensorimotor treatment, 5–7 min/day, 5 days/week. Limited improvement was observed in the following eating domains: spoon-feeding, biting, and chewing, but not in drinking. Children as a group maintained the pretreatment weight-age percentile. To meet the increasing growth demands of the teenage years, oralmotor therapy may need to be combined with oral caloric supplementation.