Oral Motor And Feeding Red Flags

Lack of oral-exploration with non-food items as an infant
Difficulties transitioning between different textures of foods
Weaknesses sucking, chewing, and swallowing
Frequent coughing and/or gagging when eating
Vomiting during or after meals
Refusal to eat certain textures of foods
Rigidity with diet
Avoidance of touch on face and around mouth
Loss of food and liquids when eating
Obvious preference for certain textures or flavors of foods
Increased congestion during and after meals
Grimacing/odd facial expressions when eating
Consistent wiping of hands and face during meals
Pocketing of food in cheeks, or residue observed after swallow
Irritability and anxiety during mealtime
Excessive drooling and lack of saliva management
Sudden refusal to eat previously tolerated foods
Excessive weight gain or loss

Oral-Motor Skill Improvement
 
Fortunately, there are also many activities you can easily incorporate at home to facilitate improvements with oral-motor skills.

Blowing activities (blow-pens, instruments, whistles, etc.) help to improve posture, breath control, lip rounding, and motor-planning skills.
Infant massage may also help to increase oral-awareness and facial tone.
Straws, sour candies, and bubbles may help with drooling.
Constantly exposing your child to a variety of new foods will help to avoid food jags, and increase their tolerance to different textures and tastes.
 
If you notice that your child presents with some of the above-mentioned characteristics and does not seem to be improving, it would be advantageous to speak with a Speech-Language Pathologist about your concerns.
 
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