By: Madison Gwizdalski MS, CCC-SLP
If your child constantly chews on their shirt, bites their nails, or craves crunchy snacks, you’re not alone. Many children engage in these behaviors as a natural part of their development due to a need for oral sensory input. While it can be puzzling for parents, understanding this behavior is the first step in supporting your child positively and safely.
Common Questions We Will Answer In This Article and More!
How can I tell if my child is exhibiting oral sensory seeking behavior?
- Oral sensory seeking behavior can include chewing on non-food items, craving crunchy or chewy foods, and difficulties with oral-motor tasks like blowing bubbles or sucking through a straw. These behaviors often increase during stressful situations. Observing these patterns in various settings can help identify if your child is seeking oral sensory input.
Is oral sensory seeking behavior only related to autism?
- No, oral sensory seeking behavior is not exclusive to autism. While it can be associated with autism due to sensory processing challenges, it is also seen in other conditions such as ADHD and sensory processing disorder (SPD). Understanding the broader context of your child’s sensory profile is essential for proper support and intervention.
What strategies can help manage oral sensory seeking behavior in children?
- Strategies include offering safe chewing alternatives like chewable jewelry, creating a sensory diet with oral activities like using straws or blowing bubbles, and providing deep pressure input through weighted blankets or bear hugs. Consulting an occupational therapist can help tailor these strategies to your child’s specific sensory needs.
What Are Sensory Seeking Behaviors?
Sensory seeking behaviors are actions that individuals engage in to fulfill their need for sensory input. These behaviors can manifest in various ways, depending on the type of sensory input being sought. For example, children who are oral sensory seekers might chew on non-food items like clothing, pencils, or toys. This behavior is often a way for them to self-regulate, find comfort, or enhance focus. Sensory seeking isn’t limited to oral activities; it can also include actions like jumping, spinning, or constantly touching objects and people.
Understanding sensory seeking behaviors involves recognizing the underlying need for sensory input. Children with sensory processing challenges may exhibit these behaviors more frequently as they attempt to balance their sensory experiences. For instance, a child who seeks proprioceptive input might enjoy activities that involve deep pressure, such as bear hugs or carrying heavy objects. Similarly, a child who craves vestibular input might engage in spinning or swinging. Identifying these patterns can help parents and caregivers provide appropriate sensory activities that meet their child’s needs.
Sensory seeking behaviors are generally not inherently problematic but can become so if they interfere with daily activities or become extreme and potentially harmful. They become a concern when they interfere with daily life or pose safety risks. By observing when and why these behaviors occur, parents can better understand their child’s sensory world and offer targeted support. For example, if a child chews on their shirt during stressful situations, providing a chewable necklace or a crunchy snack might help them cope more effectively. Tailoring interventions to the specific sensory needs of the child can lead to more positive outcomes and improved overall well-being.
Why Do Kids Seek Oral Sensory Input?
Children might seek oral sensory input for several reasons:
- Self-Soothing: Chewing or sucking can provide a calming effect, especially during stressful times like starting a new school or a big family event.
- Enhancing Focus: Some children use oral input to concentrate, much like adults chewing gum or tapping a pen during work.
- Sensory Processing Disorder: Kids with sensory processing disorder or sensory issues may seek oral input to find balance when feeling overwhelmed or under-stimulated.
- Oral-Motor Development: Oral sensory activities can help strengthen underdeveloped muscles in the mouth, improving tasks like chewing, sucking, and speaking.
How to Recognize Oral Sensory Seeking in Your Child
Recognizing the signs of oral sensory processing issues can be straightforward once you know what to look for. Here are some common signs:
- Chewing on Non-Food Items: Your child may frequently chew on clothing, pencils, toys, or their own fingers. Notice if this behavior happens during times when they need to focus, are bored, or feel anxious.
- Preferring Certain Textures: A strong preference for crunchy, chewy, or hard foods over softer ones can indicate a need for more oral input or oral stimulation.
- Trouble with Oral-Motor Skills: Difficulty with tasks like blowing bubbles, sucking through a straw, or pronouncing certain sounds may suggest a need to develop oral-motor skills.
- Increased Behavior During Stress: Watch for increased chewing or sucking during stressful situations like transitioning to a new activity or being in a noisy environment.
Take time to observe these behaviors in various settings. When does it happen? What triggers it? What do they chew or mouth? Tracking these patterns can provide insights into your child’s sensory world and how to support their needs effectively.
Is Oral Sensory Seeking Behavior A Sign of Autism?
Oral sensory seeking behavior, like chewing on non-food items or craving crunchy snacks, can be associated with autism, particularly because many children with autism experience sensory processing challenges. These behaviors often serve as self-regulation tools, helping children manage anxiety or sensory overload. For instance, chewing on objects can have a calming effect during stressful situations.
However, it’s crucial to note that oral sensory seeking isn’t exclusive to autism. Similar behaviors can also be seen in children with conditions like ADHD and sensory processing disorder (SPD). In autistic individuals, oral sensory seeking is often part of a broader pattern that includes sensory sensitivities and differences in social communication. While this behavior can be a sign of autism, it isn’t definitive on its own. Identifying a child’s overall sensory profile and observing other patterns of behavior can guide parents and caregivers in providing the appropriate support and interventions tailored to their unique needs.
Supporting Your Child’s Oral Sensory Needs with Good Strategies
If your child shows signs of oral sensory seeking, the goal isn’t to stop the behavior but to provide safe and appropriate outlets for it. Here are some strategies that can help:
1. Offer Safe Chewing Alternatives
Children often chew on whatever is available—shirt sleeves, pencils, or toys. Providing safe alternatives for oral exploration can be a game-changer:
- Choose the Right Sensory Tools for Kids: Offer sensory tools like chewable jewelry, silicone chew tubes, or chewable pencil toppers. They come in various textures and resistance levels, allowing your child to find what works best for them.
- Make It a Positive Experience: Introduce chewable items as helpful tools rather than framing the behavior as a problem. For example, say, “I see you need something to chew on. Let’s try this cool necklace.” This approach validates their need without feeling like a correction.
- Integrate Into Daily Routines: Make these tools easily accessible during times when your child is likely to seek oral input, such as during homework or in the car.
- Safety and Maintenance: Choose non-toxic, food-grade items and regularly inspect them for wear and tear.
Providing safe alternatives empowers your child to manage their sensory needs independently, offering them a positive outlet for their oral sensory needs.
2. Create a Sensory Diet
A sensory diet is a personalized plan that provides the right type and amount of sensory input throughout the day. It includes various sensory diet activities that cater to your child’s needs:
- Consult with an Occupational Therapist: Work with an OT specializing in sensory integration to evaluate your child’s sensory needs and create a tailored sensory diet.
- Incorporate Oral Activities: Include activities like chewing breaks, sucking through a straw, and eating crunchy or chewy snacks. These activities can be scheduled throughout the day, especially before tasks that require concentration, like homework.
- Use a Visual Schedule: For younger children, a visual schedule can help them understand when sensory breaks will occur, offering a sense of control.
- Mix and Match Activities: Combine oral sensory input with other sensory activities, such as deep pressure exercises, to help your child feel more balanced.
A sensory diet doesn’t have to feel like an extra chore. It’s a dynamic toolkit that evolves with your child’s needs, helping them feel more balanced and focused.
3. Improve Oral-Motor Skills
If oral sensory seeking is linked to underdeveloped oral-motor skills, exercises can help strengthen these muscles:
- Blowing Bubbles and Bubble Wands: Blowing bubbles helps with breath control, lip rounding, and muscle coordination. Use different types of bubble wands to vary the challenge.
- Using Straws for Strengthening: Offer thicker liquids like smoothies through a straw. Use straw mazes or races as fun activities to improve breath control and oral-motor skills.
- Play with Musical Instruments: Instruments like kazoos, harmonicas, or whistles encourage controlled blowing and lip movement.
- Oral-Motor Toys and Tools: Use oral-motor tools like chewy tubes and vibrating oral tools to provide resistance and feedback to the muscles involved in chewing.
Engaging in these playful activities can help your child develop the strength and coordination needed to manage their oral sensory needs more effectively.
4. Provide Deep Pressure Input
Oral sensory seeking can be linked to a need for deep pressure or proprioceptive input. Deep pressure activities can help the sensory system feel more balanced:
- Weighted Blankets and Lap Pads: Use weighted blankets during rest times or lap pads during seated activities to provide calming pressure.
- Bear Hugs and Deep Pressure Massage: Offer bear hugs or use gentle, firm pressure massage to help your child regulate their sensory system.
- Pushing and Pulling Exercises: Activities like carrying heavy objects, wheelbarrow walks, or pillow pile-ups provide deep pressure input.
- Incorporate Deep Pressure into Daily Routines: Include deep pressure activities in morning, break, and bedtime routines to help your child feel more grounded.
Providing deep pressure input offers an alternative way for your child to find comfort and sensory regulation.
When Should You Seek Professional Help for Oral Sensory Issues?
While many oral sensory-seeking behaviors are a normal part of development, seeking professional help can be crucial if the behavior is intense, persistent, or impacts daily life. Consider consulting an occupational therapist if you notice:
- Safety Concerns: Your child frequently chews on dangerous items.
- Interference with Daily Activities: Oral sensory seeking interferes with eating, sleeping, or social interactions.
- Emotional Distress: Your child becomes distressed when they cannot engage in oral sensory-seeking behaviors.
- Developmental Concerns: Delayed speech, motor skills, or social interactions that may be linked to sensory processing challenges.
An occupational therapist can provide a comprehensive evaluation, develop a sensory diet, and offer guidance on how to support your child’s sensory needs effectively.
Finding the Right Occupational Therapist
At Uplift Therapy Center, we specialize in working with children who have sensory processing needs. Our experienced team provides individualized support tailored to each child’s unique sensory profile. We believe in empowering families with strategies and resources to support their child’s growth and development. Schedule a consultation with us today, and let’s create a supportive plan tailored to your child’s sensory needs.
Embracing Your Child’s Sensory World
Supporting a child with oral sensory needs isn’t about stopping the behavior but finding safe, constructive ways to meet their needs. By offering appropriate outlets, you help your child feel more balanced and comfortable. Remember, this journey is about understanding your child’s sensory world and helping them thrive, not by changing who they are, but by giving them the tools they need to feel secure.
Support Your Child’s Sensory Journey Now
Understanding oral sensory seeking is the first step toward providing the right support. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure of the next steps, the team at Uplift Therapy Center is here to help. Let’s work together to transform what may seem like a quirky habit into a valuable part of your child’s sensory puzzle. Contact Uplift Therapy Center now to get started on this empowering journey.
Links and Resources
- “Oral Sensory Processing and Sensory Seeking Behaviors” – https://www.aota.org/practice/children-youth
- “Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder” – https://www.spdstar.org/basic/understanding-sensory-processing-disorder
- “Autism and Sensory Processing: How Sensory Sensitivities Affect Children” – https://www.autismspeaks.org/sensory-issues
- “The Role of Occupational Therapy in Treating Sensory Processing Issues” – https://www.understood.org/articles/en/occupational-therapy-for-sensory-processing-issues
