Understanding Emily's Oral-Motor Skills Development

Exploring Emily's Eating Habits and Motor Skills

Emily is a 10-month-old child who is currently not feeding herself with her hands. Instead, she drinks from a bottle and relies on a suckle pattern to consume smooth pureed food. While she engages in play by banging and interacting with a spoon, she does not show any interest in self-feeding using the spoon. Additionally, Emily is unable to hold her own bottle and exhibits a gag reflex when presented with crackers, cookies, and lumpy foods.

Interpreting Emily's Behavior

Emily's feeding habits and actions provide insight into her oral-motor skills development. Her inability to feed herself or hold her bottle suggests a delay in mastering these essential motor skills for feeding. Although she demonstrates some motor skills by playing with a spoon, her lack of self-feeding attempts indicates an ongoing developmental process.

Analyzing Emily's Reaction to Different Foods

Emily's reaction to certain food textures, such as gagging when presented with crackers, reveals her preferences and level of comfort with various foods. The discomfort shown through gagging suggests that Emily's oral skills are not yet fully developed to handle these specific textures effectively. This behavior highlights the importance of understanding and supporting Emily's gradual progress in expanding her oral-motor skills.

Supporting Emily's Development

To enhance Emily's oral-motor skills development, caregivers and healthcare professionals can provide her with appropriate guidance, support, and exercises tailored to her needs. By offering a variety of foods and textures in a safe and encouraging environment, Emily can gradually improve her feeding abilities and overall oral-motor coordination.