DETRIMENTIAL SUCKING HABITS
Thank you for visiting my site about my motivational program of Positive Behavior Modification to eliminate sucking habits. I am in private practice in the field of speech and language disorders. I have over 40 years of experience in various settings: public school, developmental center, hospital, rehabilitation, and nursing homes. I have worked with all ages from infants to centenarians.
To meet the needs of the public I am targeting adverse oral habits such as thumb or finger sucking, lip or fingernail biting, etc. I also consult and remedy poor swallowing patterns of tongue thrust or reverse swallow in conjunction with persistent articulation problems and orthodontics. I have expertise in a wide range of other speech or communication disorders and can implement or supplement therapy according to individual therapeutic needs year round. If you are interested in a screening or evaluation, I can provide that as well. I am a certified Speech Language Pathologist, an Orofacial Myologist and a Recognized Fluency Specialist as well as a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM).
Sucking can interfere with dental growth and development, speech mastery, social acceptance by peers as well as contribute to various health issues such as pin worms, impetigo and crooked fingers.
My program to discontinue non-functional oral habits is designed to work quickly without coercion. Constant reminding, nagging, critical and/or punitive attempts at solving the behavior often compound the problem and actually stimulate more sucking! The program generally involves a weekly visit for 3 weeks; a 6 week and a 6 month recheck visit. Parents' role is not one of enforcement but rather one of empathy and support. My goal is to motivate your child to want participate and also, more importantly, to accept responsibility for stopping.
Timing is a very important consideration for success and overcoming the habit as soon as possible aids dental and speech development. Because a child becomes emotionally dependent on the activity, the longer it persists, the more difficult it is to eliminate. He depends on the sucking to relieve stress, therefore careful thought must be given to picking a time to begin the program....not during times of excessive stress or change. Events such as arrival of a new sibling, a family move, or an upcoming trip are just a few examples of situations that can create anxiety in children.
It is important that intellectual and emotional development is sufficient to enable the child to succeed with the task, minimize frustration and facilitate effective communication and motivation. This development is generally adequate at age five.
Please give me a call for a free telephone consultation and to schedule an appointment: Christine 719-434-0888
Little smiles deserve a BIG chance to grow healthy and straight.