Supporting Oral Motor Skills in the Infant
Assessment, Adaptation, and Remediation
A 7 hour, self-paced continuing education course where you learn to problem solve feeding dysfunction in neonates and young infants and determine the appropriate strategies to improve oral feeding
*Open for OT, SLP, and PT*
Providing Lactation Education CEUs for Healthcare Professionals
IBLCE Long-Term Provider
7.0 L-CERPs
A fresh perspective to approaching oral motor assessment and intervention that will challenge your critical thinking skills
Course Description:
This CEU course will provide an overview of infant oral anatomy, oral motor development, and the acquisition of strong, efficient feeding skills. Instructors critically review the current literature available regarding oral stimulation.
Course participants are provided with a toolkit (including oral motor treatment ideas, oral motor assessment forms, and more) to help their clients improve their oral motor skills and progress toward efficient oral feeding
This is course is amazing... just read the reviews.
"This course was fantastic in that it was thorough yet focused. I really appreciated Kim and Kary's methodical approach starting with an A&P review, and always encouraging chasing the why so we know why we're selecting treatment options! I also love their care for babies and caregivers - we have such an important role during an extremely sensitive time and I love their focus on what each family can handle, compassionate education, and respecting the babies during evaluations and treatment rather than plowing ahead while they cry. Thank you for a wonderful course!!"
Speech Language Pathologist
"The course was very well organized and thorough. The clinicians clearly have a mastery of the topic and have experience both practicing and teaching/guiding others. I loved that they focused on the research and their own clinical reasoning skills and were able to give clear, logical explanations to their approach to complex treatments. I wish all continuing education courses would provide this level of evidence-based knowledge and experiential insight to practitioners."
Occupational Therapist
“Absolutely loved Kim and Kary's "less is more" approach to oral motor and emphasis on looking at the baby as a whole. As an experienced therapist, I had multiple moments where I cheered at the screen while watching, and I took away multiple new "gems" of information that will be helpful in practice. Kim and Kary are engaging and to the point; not one moment of this course is "idle" or wasted, it's jam packed with learning. If you are new to infant feeding, this course is absolute GOLD. It should be at the top of your list if you are looking to gain a good foundation in infant feeding. These insights will be practical and helpful for your clients and families, whether breast or bottle feeding. This course is what I wish had been available to me as a new therapist working with infants!"
Occupational Therapist
“I loved how this course was organized and presented as I felt the information built on itself really nicely. I also really loved going back to really thinking about the "why" for the signs and symptoms present as I felt by the end of the course I was able to build on my own clinical reasoning skills and why you would select certain interventions. I also appreciated considering adaptive versus remediation approaches so the family can leave an appointment with action steps for supporting their baby where they are at. Highly recommend this course as a jumping-off point for therapists getting started in this area of practice. As a person who is not currently seeing this population but is building a program, I am walking away from this course with increased confidence in how to get started."
Occupational Therapist
Learning Objectives for Supporting Oral Motor Skills in the Infant:
- Examine differences between normal and abnormal oral motor development and feeding skill acquisition typically seen in neonates and infants
- Analyze information on oral motor skill development and social-emotional well-being of both the infant and the caregiver to describe their impact on occupational participation and performance
- Identify differences in oral skills and the underlying physiologic impairment that impacts successful feeding in infancy
- Analyze information from the assessment of oral motor issues to determine the most appropriate interventions for breast and bottle feeding
- Identify tools/equipment/adaptations available to support oral motor skills in order to enhance participation and performance of breast and bottle feeding
Timed Agenda
Don’t feel rushed! This is a self-paced, online continuing education course. You can pause, replay, and watch the videos as many times as you’d like as you expand your understanding of oral motor skills and their impact on infant feeding, breastfeeding, and function.
Course Information
6 minutes
- Introduction
- Disclosures
- Course Overview
Infant Oral Motor Foundations & Nuances
2 hours
- Oral Reflexes (19 min)
- Anatomy and relevant physiology (28 min)
- Oral motor skills for breast and bottle feeding (49 min)
- Whole baby considerations: impact of body systems on oral motor skills (34 min)
Oral Motor Assessment for Infants
2 hours 10 minutes
- Assessment (2 hr 10 min)
- Step by step walkthrough of custom infant feeding intake and evaluation form
- Video and instructor demonstration of an oral motor assessment
- Video: feeding at breast vs bottle
Oral Motor Adaptations & Remediation
2 hours 25 minutes
- Adaptations (1 hr 10 min)
- for successful breastfeeding
- for bottle-feeding including review of bottles, nipples, and considerations for flow
- Remediation (1 hr 15 min)
- strategies to improve oral motor skills required for breast and bottle feeding
- differential diagnosis chart with potential treatment ideas (adaptation and remediation)
- a quick word on oral aversion
Clinical Case Study
40 minutes
- In depth case study of NICU graduate that is breast and bottle feeding
- Video of oral motor interventions
- Strategies for the dysregulated infant
CE Course Assessment & Feedback
untimed
- Feedback survey
- Multiple choice assessment
Instructors
Kimberly Grenawitzke, OTD, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, CNT &
Kary Rappaport, MS, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC
BIO: Kimberly Grenawitzke, OTD, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, CNT
BIO: Kary Rappaport, MS, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC
Kimberly's Disclosures
Kary's Disclosures
AOTA Approved Provider, ASHA CE Approved Provider, IBLCE Long-Term Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this oral motor course intended for?
This oral motor course is designed for Occupational Therapy practitioners (OT and COTA), Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP), and Physical Therapy practitioners (PT and PTA). Therapists who are interested in a comprehensive, infant-specific course that offers a whole baby approach to oral motor skills required for breastfeeding and bottle feeding.
What makes this course different from other oral motor or feeding courses?
Most oral motor CEU courses for occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and physical therapists focus on the entire lifespan. Courses that do focus on general pediatric oral motor skills barely cover infants or take into consideration breastfeeding (usually focused on bottle feeding). This course is infant-specific and covers oral motor assessment and intervention.
This course offers the unique perspective of using oral stimulation, remediation, and adaptation within the context of infant feeding and the impact of the family dynamic.
This comprehensive course is taught by experienced therapists, Occupational Therapists (OT) who are also International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC), for therapists.
Are there prerequisites for this course?
Beyond the professional licensure, there is no required coursework needed prior to enrolling in this course.
As a therapist, can I count this course toward my 90 hours of lactation-specific education?
Absolutely! This course is approved for 7 L-CERPs. To receive credit for completion, the course must be completed with 100% watch time and each participant will need to complete a post-assessment with a passing score of at least 80% to ensure all learning objectives are met.
Information about AOTA CEUs
This course is approved for 0.7 AOTA CEUs. Participants will be required to:
- Complete the course in its entirety (100% of the course watched)
- Complete a multiple-choice post-assessment with a passing score of at least 80% (untimed test)
Information about ASHA CEUs
To receive ASHA CEUs, participants will be required to:
- Ensure you are eligible to receive ASHA CEUs! Click here for more information
- Complete the course in its entirety (watch time is tracked by the learning management system)
- Complete the multiple-choice post-assessment with a passing score of at least 80% (untimed test, 3 retakes)
- There is no option for partial credit
Information for Physical Therapists about PT CEUs
APTA does not approve individual companies and you will need to check with your individual state for online course requirements. To best prepare you can save the following:
- The certificate of completion that will be provided
- List of references
- A copy of the assessment questions
How long will I have access to the course?
6 months from the purchase date.
What is your refund/cancellation policy?
Refunds must be requested within 14 days of purchase by emailing [email protected]. A full refund is available if no modules have been started. A partial refund is available once ANY portion of the course has been viewed. The amount refunded is at the sole discretion of The Lactation OT LLC. There is no refund available after 14 days of purchase OR if module one has been completed. Recipients will receive acknowledgment of refund requests within 3 business days. If the request is valid per the terms listed above, the refund will be processed within 7 business days. If for any reason the course is canceled by The Lactation OT before the course is started, a full refund will be provided.
How do I request special accommodation?
Please send us an email at [email protected] at least 14 days before starting the course with further details of your request.
Review the evidence and expand your clinical toolkit to more confidently work with infants on oral motor skills for better bottle and breastfeeding.
Bundle, Save, and Earn a Badge
Tethered Oral Tissues Badge (18 hours)
- Supporting Oral Motor Skills in the Infant: Assessment, Adaptation, and Remediation
- Tongue Ties, Breastfeeding, and the Lactation Savvy Therapist
Therapeutic Bottle Feeding (17.75 hours)
- Supporting Oral Motor Skills in the Infant: Assessment, Adaptation, and Remediation
-
Mixed Feeding: How to make Individualized, evidence-based recommendations to support families supplementing with infant formula
-
Bottle Feeding Skills: Refining Clinical Reasoning for Selection and Use
The Lactation OT is proud to provide lactation-specific continuing education and resources to OT, SLP, PTs, IBCLCs, and healthcare professionals. Your tiniest clients depend on you, and we’re here to support you as you provide the most effective, evidence-based care possible.
Thanks for joining us. Together we can continue to raise the level of care in lactation and infant feeding.
Looking for more information? Have a comment or complaint? Send an email to [email protected]. View complaint policy here.
