An examination of life-style factors that influence parental support of oral-motor/feeding skill development of the child with down's syndrome

Early intervention is a growing area of employment for occupational therapists. Inherent in the federal guidelines for programs is a family approach. Many occupational therapists in early intervention are involved in assisting families with determining the developmental level of oral-motor/feeding skills in their children with Down's syndrome. It is the purpose of this paper to examine the parent(s)' perceptions concerning their child's oral motor/feeding skills and how recommendations for oral-motor/feeding skill acquisition were implemented in five families with different life-styles. Interviews were completed with the five families. As a complement to the interviews, a stress index was completed. Data were discussed in narrative for the interviews and the stress index. Results indicated that life-style factors influenced the care parents provided and, therefore, should be considered by occupational therapists when giving recommendations.