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Expert Q&A

	By Paige Brooks Curry M.A., CCC/SLP

Could my 3-year-old's picking eating habits and drooling be related to his speech delays?

It is hard for me to answer your question specifically without having seen your child, however I am curious to know if your child has other symptoms of Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID). This disorder very often accompanies speech/language or developmental delays. Unfortunately it is not a condition that many pediatricians and therapist are trained in and therefore it is often not recognized. You would need to see a therapist who is specialized in these areas to make this type of determination.

To give you a broad definition, Sensory Integration is the ability to process stimuli the body receives. This involves processing what you hear, see, taste as well as movement. Some symptoms of SID are language delay, incoordination, hyperactivity and difficulty learning. Many children with SID put things in their mouths inappropriately, are picky eaters and drool. They may also be afraid of certain movements like swings or like them excessively. They may be sensitive to clothing, fall down a lot, spill things frequently or have behavior problems. Because your child has a few of these symptoms it does not necessarily mean he has SID. As I said, it is often hard to diagnose. You may want to look at the Web site Sensory Integration International. This may give you further symptoms you can look for. I would suggest you seek out an Occupational Therapist who is specially trained in SID if you feel he fits more of the criteria. An OT evaluation may be helpful, especially if your child has any fine motor delays (difficulty using his hands to do things such as build things, feed himself, manipulate toys, etc.). You may want to ask the Speech Pathologist working with him if she feels he has any oral motor dysfunction as well. This would mean he has weakness or difficulty coordinating the movements of his lips and tongue. Good luck!

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