Son will not chew.

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Son will not chew.

by Zane
(Australia)

My 3 year old son will not chew his food at all and therefore can only eat semi or pureed food. He can be a very difficult and demanding child but also very loving, caring and helpful. He seems to be very intelligent and learns very quickly but chooses to deliberately give the wrong answers to questions. He was a late talker but seems to be on par with other children his age now.His doctor says he has "behavioural issues" because he can certainly be "naughty" when he chooses to be.

The chewing really worries me because every occupational,speech and health specialist we have seen look at us blankly or with disbelief when we explain his chewing problem. He had severe reflux from birth and would violently bring up almost everything he ate. This problem has largely been controlled with medication. He was diagnosed at 10 months with hypermelanosis of ito which has now been ruled out and with autism at 2years old which has also now been ruled out. These incorrect diagnosis' have caused us endless sleepless nights and anxiety.

Are there any professionals out there who are not quick to put a label on a child and actually study all aspects of the child before making hasty life changing diagnosis'. He displays some of the symptoms of SPD but I can not find any help topics on his chewing problem. Any suggestions on who can or how I can help him with his chewing?

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Son will not chew.

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Aug 12, 2010
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Not Chewing his food related to later speech problems
by: Anonymous

Please please understand that not chewing food and speech problems can be related so if you notice your kid also slurs or in articulates or mumbles when he's 6 or 7 that he might have also had earlier 'feeding' problems. My son is now 24 and believe it or not I'm just now figuring out what the deal was. He still does not properly chew/masticate his foods, inhales and eats very quickly. He also has speech and oral vocal issues though his verbal IQ is very high. He works in a field where he has to do a lot of talking. His boss has gotten annoyed with him for the way he sometime speaks (using scripts over the phone) and wants him to slow down. Also, whenever I'm on the phone with him I have to constantly ask him to repeat what he's saying.

When he was younger, I told the doctors that he didn't chew his food and was met with suspicion of being a over protective mother. He also had digestive stomach problems which IMO had everything to do with NOT chewing his food up. I wish I knew now what I didn't know then which was that he needed more individual assessment for speech problems that started as an oral feeding issue.

There's a term called Dsyphagia that has to do with articulation and oral skills. I'm also noticing that most of the children with these kinds of problems are BOYS. I wonder if statistically this is true? My son also ended up having some pretty severe behavioral problems but I feel largely responsible because so much between us became a power struggle that his defenses rose too quickly when I tried to get him to do something correctly. It was like I was flying in the dark and had no understanding of what I was dealing with.

Today he is doing pretty well and we are working some of the 'old baggage' out but I've yet to bring up the speech/chewing thing to him for fear of triggering sensitivities. Just know none of you are crazy. I would absolutely suggest sticking with a speech therapist/occupational therapist that is intuned with your childs overall personality and abilities. Also understand that just because you dont see progress right away doesn't mean in 2 years you wont...so keep at it.

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Aug 12, 2010
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Submitted by: Anonymous

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Please please understand that not chewing food and speech problems can be related so if you notice your kid also slurs or in articulates or mumbles when he's 6 or 7 that he might have also had earlier 'feeding' problems. My son is now 24 and believe it or not I'm just now figuring out what the deal was. He still does not properly chew/masticate his foods, inhales and eats very quickly. He also has speech and oral vocal issues though his verbal IQ is very high. He works in a field where he has to do a lot of talking. His boss has gotten annoyed with him for the way he sometime speaks (using scripts over the phone) and wants him to slow down. Also, whenever I'm on the phone with him I have to constantly ask him to repeat what he's saying. When he was younger, I told the doctors that he didn't chew his food and was met with suspicion of being a over protective mother. He also had digestive stomach problems which IMO had everything to do with NOT chewing his food up. I wish I knew now what I didn't know then which was that he needed more individual assessment for speech problems that started as an oral feeding issue. There's a term called Dsyphagia that has to do with articulation and oral skills. I'm also noticing that most of the children with these kinds of problems are BOYS. I wonder if statistically this is true? My son also ended up having some pretty severe behavioral problems but I feel largely responsible because so much between us became a power struggle that his defenses rose too quickly when I tried to get him to do something correctly. It was like I was flying in the dark and had no understanding of what I was dealing with. Today he is doing pretty well and we are working some of the 'old baggage' out but I've yet to bring up the speech/chewing thing to him for fear of triggering sensitivities. Just know none of you are crazy. I would absolutely suggest sticking with a speech therapist/occupational therapist that is intuned with your childs overall personality and abilities. Also understand that just because you dont see progress right away doesn't mean in 2 years you wont...so keep at it.

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Jul 19, 2010
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my two yr old does not know how to chew
by: angelina

my son is a very small boy only weight 21 pounds. he has been diagnosed with autism in june 2010.I am glad to hear my son isn't the only one who eats solid foods people think im not doing my job as a parent right but who are we to force are children to eat. this been a slow process but im hoping he will get better at eating. on a daily basis he prefers to drink milk rather than eat. he only eats yogurt applesauce some oatmeal to help him gain calories a nutritionist suggests mash avocados with his yogurt give him mashed boiled eggs with mayo. So far no changes.

Jun 10, 2010
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my three year old does not chew.
by: Anonymous

My three year old son also has the same problem. He does not chew the food. He often runs here and there and bites anything that comes his way. He does not sit stable at a time. We had taken him for occupational and speech therapy three four times. But I dont think it will help so i stopped it. He is very thin and a slow weight gainer. He also has short attention span. Can anybody help me to find out what is his actual problem.

Jun 08, 2010
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I can offer hope
by: Anonymous

Hello,

My 3 year old is the same. Has been on pureed or mashed food since he was a baby. Eats a good quantity but can never handle a morsel of rice or anything else. He seems to have developed an aversion to most food item. Recently (within the last 6 months) he has started to snack on some chips and cookies. He would nibble or gnaw before swallowing.

We have never consulted a doctor because his cousin of 9 years used to be just like this and by the time he was 5 he had learned to overcome this difficulty. He would still be picky about certain foods but had improved a great deal. We are going to sit it out !!

Hope this helps !

Apr 26, 2010
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chewing problem
by: Anonymous

Hello i have the same problem with my son. It seems like nothing id helping. He is on Pepcid. Speech therapist. We do a lot of oral stimulation like Zvib, NUK brush. But he is not progressing.A ny suggestions. Please help.

Mar 11, 2010
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$ yr old can't chew
by: Anonymous

I have a three year old son who will be turning four in May. He is unable to chew and eats only pureed foods. He has had tonsillitis a few times which caused vomiting, which I think, coupled with his sensory issues has led to this problem. He hates eating ... he gags and sometimes vomits. Progress is REALLY slow --- initially, we had to DESEED and mash bananas. He has been to on occupational therapist, but it didn't seem to be worth the upheaval as i didn't see any progress. We have had one session with a speech therapist who has instructed us to use a feeding teether to try to teach him to chew.

If I knew that he'd outgrow this, i'd feel better. My concern is that his affecting our choice of school, and most likely his participation at school. He is NOT being naughty; he really tries but struggles. I feel for him .... and I also "lose it
" despite trying not to. Someone, please give me hope!

Oct 23, 2009
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Won't eat solids
by: Anonymous

My son developed severe reflux at 6 months. Vomited constantly. Refused the bottle. By the time he was given medication he already refused to eat. Had an NG tube for 2 months before I found a Pediatric Feeding Disorder Specialist. Dr. Meeta Patel was an angel from god. She came to our home and "fixed" him in 3 days. (Ok... more to the story). When he was moved from the bottle to purees he did great. But when solids were introduces he did horrible. Dr Patel came out again and she said he did not know how to chew and move the food around with his tongue so she taught him and again she "fixed" him. My son also has Mixed Receptive Expressive Language Disorder and was a micro preemie at birth. There is hope. You can read about Dr. Patel at www.Klinic4kidz.com

Mayra....Mishel's mom

Sep 24, 2009
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Grandson does not chew
by: Anonymous

You have described my grandson to the tee. he is 3yr old and does not chew either, he began his gaggin an vomiting with food at age12 mos an has limited diet, of sausage, chicken nuggets and choc milk chips on a good day, drinks threw a straw an nothing but water or choc milk, his speech is good for his age, very intelligent, we have been involved with OT and ST and NO diagnosis of SID , we haven't tried jello or apple sauce threw a straw, but anything with a smooth texture he gags....Please any suggestions? I notice when he takes bites of food he always bites with his side teeth never uses his front teeth. Acid reflux? Please we are desperate he will soon start preschool and need help soon. I am a worried and concerned MIMI

Sep 19, 2009
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son will not chew
by: Anonymous

As a parent of a SID. Please don't see your child as not telling the truth! Every child tells the truth, unless they were taught to lie.

Yes, the OT telling you about his reflux and scaring is true. Don't make it a big issue infront of your child. He hears your conversation, so please be private with your conversation about him. Treat your son and stick with the food that he can eat. He will get help and work with your son. Give him the foods he can eat and work on the development with gerber 2 or 3 baby food. If he sees you believe in him and you are working along with him then maybe he will try his hardest cuz his mom believes in him and will help him through this chew problem. Have you tried a straw? How is his sucking ability? (applesauce, jello in a container, drinkable yogurts) fish graham crackers with a little water to soften them / then he can gum them. Meijers or walmart toddler fruit or veg. they disolve in their mouth (gum them).

Get with a certified OT and nutrition and see what they say. keep your head up cuz your son sees everything and senses your positiveness.
Fish

Sep 19, 2009
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Son not Chewing
by: Anonymous

I am a pediatric OT. His chewing may be related to the reflux or related to some scarring in his trachea/esophagus due to the reflux. (I.E., refusal to chew because the swallow might hurt). It must be differentiated that he does not have the ability to chew vs. not chewing because of other reasons. It could also be due to very weak jaw muscles and a weak tongue. What is his clarity of speech like?

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Son will not chew.

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Son will not chew.