In my post last Thursday (Fragile X Syndrome and Eating - click here to read it) I mentioned one of the things I like to do to engage Grant's mouth muscles is use Pop Rocks.
A couple weeks ago I read an article by Tracy Stackhouse and Sarah “Mouse” Scharfenaker in The National Fragile X Foundation newsletter about mouth stuffing (excellent article - click here to read it). It suggested using Pop Rocks as input "to wake up that mouth and get those muscles activated".
Well, I tried it and Grant loved it. It was fun and something different. We've only been doing it a little while but I've seen immediate results when it comes to Grant's need to mouth [lick, chew, gnaw on] various objects.
One thing I don't like is the ingredients on the Pop Rocks package include artificial coloring - like red dye #40 - not that I'm surprised (red dye #40 can cause hyperactivity for children who struggle with ADHD). I tried to find a place where I could purchase organic Pop Rocks (if such a thing exists) online but my search was unsuccessful. Though I did find a recipe for Pop Rocks (click here)... We'll see if I can squeeze in enough time to try the recipe. In the meantime, I suppose a little bit is OK. :) It seems to be worth it.
If anyone finds a place where I can order organic pop rocks online, please send the link to me.
We just started using Pop Rocks recently as well. I give our son 2 small spoons twice a day - like medicine - (before lunch and dinner). Not only has it helped with mouth stuffing, but we've noticed more words as well! Amazing how something so simple can "wake up" my 4 year olds mouth.
ReplyDelete@Cortney That is a great way of doing it, Cortney! I was thinking of coating the z-vibe with the Pop Rocks but that may be too much input at one time. I think I'm going to try your method. Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteI gave a package to our ST, along with a link to the article, and she just grabbed me after school today to tell me that they are working great with our five year old - both as a wake-up and as a reward! Although, I can only get cola flavor here.
ReplyDelete@Tara That is so good to hear! I am really encouraged by all the great feedback. Isn't great when we come across something tangible that we can do to help our child(ren)?!? Rock on! ;)
ReplyDelete