Low tone -- only in his mouth?

amother

Thu, May 12 2011, 9:49 am

We were told that my son has low tone, only in his mouth, and he craves sensory stimulation there. He has very large cheeks (which is why the therapist thought to check into it), and he drooled all the time as an infant toddler. He is now three years old, and the drooling isn't much of an issue anymore.

The only problem is his eating habits. He's gotten more and more picky (although not as horrible as some kids I know) about what he will eat, but more importantly, he tends to end his meals by intentionally dribbling milk out of his mouth, spitting chunks of chewed food out, smearing food on his face (and sometimes on the table, etc). I can't find any warning signs really until the mess starts, but as soon as it happens, we just calmly say "All done," and remove him from the table. Sometimes he's completely fine with that, and sometimes he gets all upset, crying and asking us why (when prompted, he can answer, but he's still upset by it).

This happened again this morning, but since they told us what the problem was yesterday, I felt so bad about it. Is there anything I should do differently? I've tried ignoring it, but he gets more and more out of control, smearing food all over the place. (Granted, I haven't tried it for several months, but sometimes I'm dealing with something else and can't get to him right away and it's pretty bad.) He's eating right up until it happens. He's always stuffed food in his mouth to the point where sometimes he gags, and he eats a TON. So he's eating like that, and then suddenly starts the mess-making, I guess because his mouth craves some more stimulation or something.

Has anyone else dealt with this? The therapist pretty much said it's fine, whatever, said he could blow bubbles or a couple of other exercises to strengthen those muscles. That was all.

life'sgreat

Thu, May 12 2011, 9:53 am

It sounds like he might need therapy to strengthen his muscles if he's doing the above. My son had a similar issue and he also became more and more picky with his food. I saw a big difference when he had therapy to strengthen the muscles.

Obviously taking away his food is not a good idea under the circumstances. Perhaps ask a therapist about healthy ways of giving him the stimulation he needs.

amother

Thu, May 12 2011, 9:54 am

What kind of therapist told you this? From your description, it does sound like there is both oral motor weakness/hypotonia, and oral sensory-seeking behaviors. A qualified speech therapist is trained to address both issues via speech therapy, and she should definitely be giving you different exercises, games and tips to try at home.

Your son may have low tone elsewhere in his body that was never picked up because it hasn't affected his functioning. Less likely, it may truly be only in his mouth.