The effect of oral sensorimotor stimulations on feeding performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy

Abstract

Oral feeding difficulties are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The effect of oral-motor dysfunction on feeding problems has been proved in several studies. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of oral sensorimotor stimulations on feeding performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy. A total of 12 children with spastic cerebral palsy underwent 24 sessions of oral-motor stimulations (3 days per week). The effect of the intervention was assessed after the 12 and 24 sessions. Feeding skills were assessed using Oral Motor Assessment Scale (OMAS). Data were analyzed using Friedman test and intra class correlation coefficient (ICC). The results of the study revealed a significant improvement in feeding skills including mouth closure, lip closure on the utensil, lip closure during deglutition, control of the food during swallowing, mastication, straw suction and control of liquid during deglutition. There were more improvement in mouth closure and less in straw suction. This study showed sensorimotor stimulation is useful for the treatment of the feeding problems, but the progress was not perfect. This could be due to the role of the position and cognitive skills in feeding functions. Thus, other strategies should be considered to achieve more improvement in feeding performance.