Oral Defensiveness: 15 of the Best Oral Defensiveness Tools and Resources

Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center. As a reminder, ILS is not a health care provider and none of our materials or services provide a diagnosis or treatment of a specific condition or learning challenge you may see in your child or student. If you seek a diagnosis or treatment for your child or student, please contact a trained professional who can provide an evaluation of the child.

As we discussed previously in “Oral Sensitivities: Why My Child Chews on Pencils and Sucks on Clothing,” there are many children who struggle with oral defensiveness. This causes them to chew on objects like pencils, toys and clothing. When a child has oral defensiveness they often need items to stimulate and “awaken” the oral receptors in their mouth. While this is normal during the teething phase, children with sensory sensitivities typically don’t grow out of this stage and their oral defensiveness could escalate even further as they get older with extreme likes for certain foods, textures, hot and cold, and sweet and savory.

Because there are so many children who need help coping with oral defensiveness, we wanted to provide you with several resources from some of the best Occupational Therapists (OTs), Pediatric Therapists (PTs), parents with sensory children and other specialists that can help your child in these areas.

Oral Defensiveness – A Real Issue

There are many parents and educators that don’t understand oral defensiveness or think it is a real problem. Many students need this tactile stimulation to sit still in class, prevent fidgeting, focus on what the teacher is saying and learn harder subjects. Children can be so distracted by their need for stimulating the oral receptors in their mouth they can’t physically concentrate on what is being taught in the class.

Oral Defensiveness Resources

To help your children, here are some of the best oral defensiveness articles to help your child’s with their oral motor skills using toys, activities, jewelry, foods and other oral motor exercises.

1. Helping an Older Child who Chews on Everything – My Mundane & Miraculous Life

2. Sensory Processing Explained | Oral Sensory System – Lemon Lime Adventures

3. Musical Imitation Game {An Oral Motor, Turn-Taking Game for Kids} – And Next Comes L

 

4. DIY Chewable Teething Necklace for Older Kids – Lemon Lime Adventures

5. Bobbing for Stars Sensory Bin – And Next Comes L

6. Oral Motor Sensory Breaks for Kids on a Road Trip – Sugar Aunts

7. 10 Things Every Parent Needs to Know about Thumb Sucking – Lemon Lime Adventures

8. DIY Chewelry for Kids who Chew on Everything (Oral Motor Sensory Hacks for Kids) – And Next Comes L

9. Plastic Egg Boats with Oral Motor Sensory Input – Sugar Aunts

10. Oral Motor Sensory Toys & Tools for Kids – And Next Comes L

11. DIY Chewable Zipper Pull – And Next Comes L

12. Boredom Buster | Pom Pom Races – Lemon Lime Adventures

 

13. Snowball Oral Motor Sensory Games – And Next Comes L

14. Simple Sensory Play | Hands-Free Ice Cube Race – Lemon Lime Adventures

 

15. Oral Motor Sensory Activities for Kids {Free Printable} – And Next Comes L

Bonus article:

16. Sensory Processing: What does oral sensory mean? – The Inspired Treehouse

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Integrated Learning Strategies is a Utah-based center dedicated to helping mainstream children and children with learning challenges achieve academic success. Our services provide kids with non-traditional tutoring programs within the Davis County, Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Farmington, and Centerville areas. Areas to find Integrated Learning Strategies include: Reading tutors in Kaysville, Math tutors in Kaysville, Common Core Tutors in Kaysville, Tutors in Utah, Utah Tutoring Programs