Introduction to Terrance's Feeding Therapy Journey
Notably, who is ready to hear a therapy success story? Terrance was 26 months old when Vanessa first met him. He was unable to drink from a straw.
Furthermore, what Vanessa did with this little boy is amazing. It is truly inspiring. We are so glad TalkTools® was able to provide her with the tools and techniques she needed to assist this client!
Vanessa's Background and Passion for Feeding Therapy
Accordingly, Vanessa's Account: "I always had a passion within feeding and oral motor therapy. That journey led me to TalkTools. After my first training, I was hooked.
For this reason, I watched inpatient and outpatient Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists use equipment and weights to strengthen patients before going into functional activities. Why hadn't SLPs been doing this?!
Therefore, TalkTools was my missing link in therapy. I quickly took more courses to better understand Oral Placement Therapy."
The Initial Assessment and Challenge
In April of 2015, I had a phone call from a distraught mother. I heard words I hear often from the families of prospective patients: 'He doesn't eat,' 'I am so worried,' 'He hates to eat,' 'He is still on his bottle.' Then I heard something worse: 'I was told he will never chew or eat food properly.' I explained that there must be something that can be done. I was confident that with the training from TalkTools I had, I could make some sort of a difference.
Clearly, maybe I couldn't get him to eat what his siblings were eating at the dinner table. But I thought we could get somewhere. Challenge accepted!
Significantly, Terrance and his family lived 2 hours away from my practice. But I happened to be treating patients a little closer to them. We met halfway. For an hour and a half, I was able to sit down with Terrance and his family. I conducted a full Oral Placement Therapy assessment.
Not surprisingly, I expected to see a boy who had no oral motor skills. I anticipated we could struggle through the assessment. Well, Terrance surprised me (the first of many times)!
Assessment Results and Therapy Plan
Importantly, in front of me sat a little boy with a sparkling personality. He had a great foundation of skills. He just had to figure out how to use them to eat! The little boy who 'would never chew or eat properly' was able to fully compress both the yellow and red Bite Tubes multiple times. He learned how to drink from the Honey Bear within minutes.
Essentially, food wasn't fun for him yet. But I knew that we would get there. I explained to his parents that while the end goal was of course to eat and enjoy food, we had to prepare his sensory-motor system for it first.
Moreover, we were able to use the Pre-Feeding Chewing Hierarchy to teach the task of chewing without the overwhelming sensory input of food. Every chewing exercise began with a bite tube. It ended with food, even if he spit it out.
Furthermore, everything we did was fun and play-based. Yet still pushed his limits. The best thing was he was so distracted by having fun. He soon began putting food in his mouth himself.
Progress and Achievements
Remarkably, I put together a TalkTools program plan. I gave his family homework each week. In May, we were fortunate that TalkTools® Instructor Renee Roy-Hill was in the area. She created an in-depth Oral Placement Therapy plan for him.
Therefore, his family was very dedicated to working on homework I assigned them each week. They followed his program plan. Six months later, Terrance has worked his way up to Straw #3, Horn #1, Bubble Blowing Hierarchy Step #4 -- just to name a few.
Thus, he no longer requires a bottle for the source of his main nutrition or for hydration. Instead, he uses a straw. The biggest accomplishment is that Terrance is eating everything his family is eating!
Interestingly, casseroles, sandwiches, fresh fruit... He loves it all.
Furthermore, there is no doubt in my mind that this would not have been achieved with any other program or training besides TalkTools. Terrance and his family travel 2 hours for our weekly therapy visits. They continue to work very hard at home on his speech and feeding.
Most importantly, I am so blessed that TalkTools has come into my life. The skill set it has given me is invaluable to not only my practice. It is also the lives of the families I work with!"
Current Work and About Vanessa
Vanessa and Terrance are now working on jaw stability, lip rounding, and tongue retraction, among other things.
Not surprisingly, about Vanessa: Vanessa Anderson-Smith is a speech-language pathologist born and raised in South Dakota. She received her bachelor's degree from Augustana University. She received her master's degree from the University of South Dakota.
Finally, in 2013, she began Anderson-Smith Speech Therapy, LLC. Her practice focuses on the assessment and treatment of motor-based speech and feeding disorders among children and adults.
Therefore, Vanessa lives in Canton, South Dakota, with her extremely supportive husband, Ryan.