Effect of Oral Motor Facilitation Technique on Oral Motor and Feeding Skills in Children with Cerebral Palsy : A Case study

Background : Deficiencies in oral motor and feeding skills are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Oral motor therapy is a useful method to improve oral motor skills and feeding skills. The oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) is a newly designed oral motor therapy that includes postural control, sensory adaptation, breathing control, sensorimotor facilitation, and direct feeding. Methods : This study was performed to determine the effect of OMFT on oral motor and feeding skills in children with CP. A total of 21 children with CP (3–10 years, GMFCS III–V) participated in 16 sessions of OMFT for 30 min, once a week for 16 weeks. The effects on oral motor and feeding skills were assessed using the Oral Motor Assessment Scale (OMAS) before as well as 8 and 16 weeks after treatment. Data were analyzed using the Friedman test and post-hoc analysis. Results : The results showed a significant improvement in oral motor skills and 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 after OMFT. Mouth closure was the most effective and mastication was the least effective item. Both the post-training periods of 8 and 16 weeks were effective, with the latter being more effective than the former. Conclusions : The results suggest that OMFT is an extremely effective and useful oral motor therapy protocol to improve oral motor function in children with CP.