Treatment Techniques to Encourage Lip Closure and Decrease Drooling in Persons with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

This study was designed to test the effectiveness of oral sensorimotor techniques in decreasing drooling. A withdrawal A₁-B-A₂ design was used with two subjects diagnosed as having mental retardation and cerebral palsy. The baseline phase consisted of 20-minute sessions of play, followed by a 45-minute period during which the subjects wore bibs The treatment phase was identical to the baseline phase except that the 20 minutes of play was replaced with 20 minutes of treatment. Treatment techniques included light touch to the midline of the lips, maintained pressure around the lips, stretch pressure, firm strokes applied on both sides of the larynx downward, and popsicle sucking. The amount of saliva collected on an absorbent bib during the 45-minute period that followed the 20 minutes was measured and recorded Although data sessions for one subject were marked by high session-to-session variability, the treatment effectively decreased drooling in both subjects.

Keywords

neurodevelopmental oral motor sensorimotor

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