Sounds pretty racy, no? Actually these are the new gadgets Anthony's speech therapist recommended at his appointment yesterday, along with this vibrating teether:
Anthony LOVES this thing. I had gotten it for him last year, and he wasn't too interested in it. But when we dug it out yesterday he couldn't get enough of it.
That feels good!
Along with the teether, Juli also recommended a Z-vibe:
These things called "Jigglers" that vibrate when you bite on them:
And these Chewy Tubes. Not surprisingly, you chew on these.
So why all this paraphernalia? These things are supposed to help to compensate for low muscle tone in the mouth and lips. If Anthony is more aware of the muscles around his mouth and face, we can promote better control as he is learning to make sounds and words, and hence better articulation. We want to help him to be able to articulate clearly so he can be understood when he speaks. We are also supposed to give him little massages and taps around his mouth and cheeks. Luckily, Anthony loves to put stuff in his mouth and chew on things, and he thinks the faces massages are fun. I found everything on Amazon, for a little cheaper than in the catalog that Juli gave us.
We're scheduled to see our ST next week and then buy these ourselves too. We already have a chewy tube and Nava is just not a fan. I have a really hard time grasping how I can make her bite it correctly! I push down, say ah, all that jazz, but, well, its discouraging. Hope you have better luck and share how it goes!
ReplyDeleteOur OT recommended the vibrating star and Miss K loves it. It's a bit bulky and heavy for her to hold it yet (4 1/2 months), but she's figured out how to bite on it to make it vibrate. Her eyes open really wide and then she cracks a big smile. She, like Anthony, also thinks the tapping and massaging around her mouth is fun. :)
ReplyDeleteI put pureed/mashed food in the end of the chewy tube to encourage Evan to bite it- he does well with it. Our OT also recommended dipping it in extracts with strong flavors. Evan loves his jiggler! :)
ReplyDeleteWe have all these too! It used to be hit or miss whether or not Abby would let us near her with them- all except the z-vibe. Now though she likes to copy- so we take turns- I do a round on me and then have her sign my turn and she gets to go- I even threaten to not let her have her turn so that she giggles and wants it. They've really helped a lot to date! I've even heard the occasional mmmmmmmm coming from her! We see Sara Rosenfeld Johnson for our next program plan update in May!
ReplyDeleteActually these are the new gadgets Anthony's speech therapist recommended at his appointment yesterday, along with this vibrating teether: chewy tube
ReplyDelete