Overview:

What does “normal” look like when it comes to the suck-swallow-breathe triad? This module presents normal, establishes a baseline, and provides a detailed explanation of the differences between oral-motor sucking issues and sensory-based sucking issues. Dr. Hazelbaker outlines five categories of infant sucking pathology. She proposes a classification system to support professionals with assessment so they can determine the best course of action.

Learning Objectives:

The learner will be able to:

• List the five categories of infant sucking problems.
• Describe the attributes of each of the five categories of infant sucking problems.
• Describe the differences between a motor-based sucking problem and a sensory-based sucking problem.

Topics Covered:

• Review of suck-swallow-breathe physiology.
• Presentation of five classes of infant sucking problems.
• Signs and symptoms of each class of sucking problem.
• Specific breastfeeding deficits associated with each sucking problem.
• Proposed solutions to each type of sucking problem.

Course/Module Details:

Lifestyle and cultural birth practices cause infant sucking problems. Sucking problems have become much more common. Professionals often find it difficult to effectively assist a breastfeeding dyad with sucking issues due to insufficient structural knowledge or an inability to assess/determine the type of sucking problem. This module presents normal suck physiology to establish a baseline. From there, participants learn how disorganized and dysfunctional sucking babies deviate from the norm. Dr. Hazelbaker covers in detail the differences between oral-motor and sensory-based sucking issues; she proposes a classification system to aid with assessment and differential diagnosis. This module offers 2.0 L-CERPs.