Learning to Eat. Week five and seven

The last few visits have been filled with enjoyable play picnics. We have introduced some new snacks which are being tasted. Cheezles, tv snacks (long thin ones), clix, cruskits, soft cream cheese triangles. Sakata rice crackers are also a favourite. Cheezles seem to be a winner as he can put one on his finger then have a lick or scrape his teeth on it. The cream cheese has been swallowed when a smear is wiped on the inside of his cheek. We have to be careful with the size that goes in if we put it in as he has had a couple of gags on very tiny pieces and this is not what we are aiming for.

He also shoved a large piece of soft roast potato in his mouth and had a good gag on it before getting it out. He has taken a bite of a cheezle, a sakata and a piece of Naan bread. He has then stuck his finger in his mouth and got it out. He had to chase the naan bread around a bit before he got it out.

He is sticking more food up to his mouth or in his mouth and is starting to clamp down on it with his teeth. I have also noticed more sideways jaw movements lately while he is playing. Not sure if that is a developmental development. We have had some other major development going on for his gross motor skills so maybe there is a burst of development going on at the moment.

As for swallowing we are still offering stocks, water and chocolate milk (he seems to taste this but not vanilla milk. I am offering sustagen as it has higher calories and if he like it and can drink it then that will be great). he takes a few sips here and there. He seems to be a little more confident. I guess we just keep offering and hopefully it will click that it is ok for him to swallow. Sometimes he will take a sip from an open bottle like a baby bottle or a water bottle and sometimes from a bowl or cup. He is accepting the spout from a sippy cup more often for at least one sip before flinging the cup across the room. He was allowing me to put a teat in his mouth with drops of water coming out the other day. he was very relaxed and sleepy. This was a rare occassion. Normally he wouldn't allow me to have anything like that in or near his mouth for more than a second or two. He lasted about 5-10 seconds before signalling he'd had enough. We had success this past week with the speechie asking him to 'shut his mouth and swallow'. So he did. He did this repeatedly throughout the session. Now we are home I have asked many times and had no where the same success. The requests seem to be ignored and I get stared at quite blankly. Ahh hate it when that happens. Same with face washing- he'll sit so nice and still for grandma and other people and have a tanti when I come anywhere near him with the facewasher.

Play picnics at home have been fun. With the weather fining up we have been able to take a rug outside and make a massive mess without a care in the world. It is so much more convenient being outside than being inside and being concerned about chocolate covered mouths and fingers going all over the couches. we had success with a bit of a chew/suck/lick on a small orange segment, milo yoghurt and again the cheezles. The play tea set was also a hit. So nice to see my son and a little friend playing on the front lawn. She is a fan of picnics at the moment so is making a great picnic companion.

Another joy is that two speechies have mentioned that they think he may have dyspraxia. Not sure what type but they have said he seems to have trouble with his motor planning. as for what we can do? Not much more than we are already doing. Just keep practicing but things may take a bit longer. It also highlights that assisted communication is going to be an ongoing important thing for us whatever shape and form that takes.