Oral Sensorimotor Therapy in the Developmentally Disabled: A Multiple Baseline Study

The efficacy of a program of sensorimotor facilitation procedures to improve oral motor function and feeding behaviors in students with severe developmental delay was explored. Four severely handicapped students were administered the oral habilitation program using a multiple baseline across-subjects design with staggered introduction of the treatment. Graphic analysis and the split middle method of trend estimation revealed that one subject evidenced an increase in weight and improved oral motor evaluation as a result of the intervention. Two other subjects displayed partial improvement. The correlates of treatment effectiveness are briefly discussed and the need for continued investigation is emphasized.