By Pam Marshalla
Q: Do you have any treatment for incisor grinding? I wrote about this recently regarding clients who are lower-functioning, but in general — Changing any oral habit is a matter of engaging in the following points: Identify the problem. Help the client become aware of the problem: What can he do to track how often he does this? Get more info about it: E.g., what does the orthodontist/dental say about it and what methods do they recommend. Identifying specifics about…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I have a 9-year-old male client with Asperger’s who sucks him thumb. I read your book How to Stop Thumbsucking and have had success with other children, but not this one. Advice? I have never faced this but I think this all boils down to what makes sense for him. It seems that the only things that get through to these clients are the things they can plug into their own logic. If you can figure out what makes…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: Why does an oral habit like thumb sucking effect the oral structures in some children but not others? I have seen kids who suck their thumbs who have no dental problems, and I have seen kids who suck their thumbs who have terrible open bites. As I understand things, any oral habit can affect oral structures depending upon the following three factors–– Frequency –– How often the client engages in the habit. Once per day? Ten times per day?…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: Do you have any thoughts on thumb sucking as a way to move facial bones? One of my four-year-old clients is a frequent thumb sucker. A professional on my team wants to encourage the habit to move this child’s facial bones as part of her craniosacral therapy. The therapist says that the child’s thumbsucking is “a pathological compensation for a structural anomaly.” Now the staff thinks that this child’s thumb sucking is okay. What do you have to say about…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My client has an anterior open bite, a very strong thumbsucking habit, and a frontal lisp of S and Z. My first impression is to wait to work on speech until after the teeth are firmly in place and the sucking habit is eliminated. Do you agree with this? Yes. In regard to the teeth, it is my opinion that it does no good to work on the sibilants until the “anterior dental barrier” (consisting of the front teeth)…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: Jessica is 26 months old and has a diagnosis of autism/PDD. She has started to respond to discrete trial instruction, however she presents with constant mouthing, licking, and biting her fingers. We have tried numerous things – chewing tubes, cold stimulation, vibration to the mouth, pressure, sweet, sour, salty, ignoring, and so forth. But the behaviors are increasing. Parents report constant licking and gnawing at furniture, books, and other household objects. Any suggestions you can give that might help…
