Juvenile with SID, oral defensiveness.

[Xevrex]

Hello,

Let me preface my question with a few details.  First, I am not a parent of the juvenile but rather the juvenile himself.  I come here in order to answer a question that's answer has evaded me for a very long time.  To get to the point: I have an oral defensiveness that, as you might be aware of, causes over-responsiveness from my oral sense, particularly to a food's texture and smell/taste.  My exclusive diet, unfortunately, consists of french fries, popcorn, waffles,  and various chips and cereals.

Whenever presented a food that a family member (usually my mother or grandfather) would like me to try, I throw an immature fit and try to get away from the situation as fast as possible.  While a desperate attempt at getting me to at least attempt to like a new food, the pressure is too overbearing for me.  If the rarity of the unfamiliar food entering my mouth occurs, I usually experience the gag reflex and can only swallow the food with a large amount of water.  As you can probably guess, I would never be able to eat a healthy diet by doing water-assisted swallowing.

I have done research on the internet for this, but far too many articles appear that only have relevance to oral defensiveness in a toddler.  The same techniques will not yield the desired results for me, leading to me coming to this forum to ask if there is any way I can get over my oral defensiveness in a way that would be acceptable for a youth.  I'm trying to avoid having to make an appointment with a psychologist or nutritionist, but will if there is no other option.

Many thanks,
- Cameron / (Internet Handle) Xevrex

[mom@homenow]

I think a pediatric occupational therapist, rather than a psychologist or nutritionist, would be appropriate. Yes they usually start treatment with toddlers or young children but they can often adapt treatments to older clientele. If you are not yet 18 you should have no problem being seen by one. Ask your doctor for a referral.

My son has less severe oral defensiveness than you, but he was helped greatly by starting to use an electric toothbrush of all things. His OT suggested it. I let him do it himself, at the beginning he would hardly have it in his mouth before he'd gag. Now, a year later he can brush most everywhere in his mouth without gagging, he only has trouble in the way back. (I still brush his teeth daily with a manual, soft, toddler size brush to get them clean) He has slowly added different foods and textures to his diet over that time frame as well. I think that getting used to the feel of the electric toothbrush has helped him overcome that initial gag reflex so that he can at least try the new food. If he doesn't like it he either gags or gets it down but refuses to try it again. But that initial fear that you describe, before it even gets to your mouth, seems to be gone in him.