Naj bo ščetkanje zabavno

Pregled

There are many ways to make toothbrushing a fun experience. Every autistic child is unique, so what works for one child may not work for another. It’s important to be patient and keep trying different methods to find what works with your child and what they are comfortable with, to ensure they're not overwhelmed or distressed by the experience.

Some parents like to introduce toothbrushing as part of playtime. Other parents have found turning toothbrushing into a game, and using rewards like stickers or praise helpful. This page provides an overview of toothbrushing apps and songs which some may find helpful.

Senzorična priprava

Balancing the sensory system before toothbrushing helps children feel more comfortable and more ready to take part and learn. This can help make the experience less overwhelming and more enjoyable. Help your child prepare their body and mind by doing a few minutes of regulating activities that includes a lot of 'heavy work' - movements that need effort from their muscles and joints. You can find some ideas for activities and breathing here. You may also find it useful to include 1-2 activities that create calming deep pressure around the mouth. These can also regulate breathing which can help to lower heart rate and stress levels. Below are some examples:

If your child uses a chew tool, you can let them chew on this before brushing.
You can play a gentle teeth ‘tug of war’ with a clean washcloth. Please avoid this activity if they have wobbly teeth.

You could press the outside of your child’s face with the pads of index and middle fingers over the section of teeth you are going to brush next.

You can massage the outer gums with 1-3 sweeps of the pad of finger and thumb or a washcloth.

Using moderate pressure, use the handle of a vibrating toothbrush or toy to press along the jawline.

You can try a face massage.

Oralno-motorične igre

Pihanje mehurčkov

Pihanje okroglega kolesa

Pihanje mehurčkov v vodo s slamico

Pihanje pompona ali vatene kroglice proti golu ali med vama čez mizo ali na tleh

Izdelovanje pretiranih živalskih obrazov

Napihnite lica in jih napihnite ali pa eksperimentirajte s pihanjem malin

Udarjanje po ustnicah ali ustvarjanje pokajočih zvokov z usti

Če nobeden od vaju ni občutljiv na zvok, poskusite s piščalkami, ptičjimi piščalkami, kazooji in žvižganjem ustnic.

Sesanje vode skozi slamico ali upogljivo slamico ali pitje iz športne steklenice ali vrčka, pri čemer je potreben pritisk in zaprte ustnice okoli ustnika, da se aktivira pretok

Prenosljivi viri

Kliknite tukaj za navadno različico

Aplikacije

The use of apps depends on your child and how this may fit in with your toothbrushing routine. Find out more about apps here.

Pohvale, nalepke in nagrade

Pomembno je, da opazite in proslavite vsako majhno zmago pri umivanju zob. Reči »dobro opravljeno«, nalepka ali majhna nagrada lahko pomagajo ohranjati motivacijo vašega otroka. Za spremljanje ščetkanja lahko uporabite tabelo in vsakič, ko je končano, dodate zlate zvezdice. Če ob koncu tedna dosežejo cilj, se lahko z njimi igrate kot zabavno nagrado.

Naj vaš otrok izbere zobno ščetko/zobno pasto, ki jo bo uporabljal

Ko smo se pogovarjali z otroki, so opisali barvo svoje zobne ščetke in zobne paste, kakšen je njen videz in kakšen je vonj. To nam je pokazalo, da so te stvari zanje pomembne. Če je vaš otrok sposoben, mu lahko pomagate izbrati zobno ščetko ali zobno pasto, ki ga navduši nad ščetkanjem. Obstaja veliko blagovnih znamk z različnimi dizajni, barvami in celo njihovimi najljubšimi liki.

Povezane strani vam ponujajo pregled različnih zobnih ščetk in zobnih past , ki lahko pomagajo pri izbiri in senzoričnih potrebah vaših otrok.

Uporaba ogledala

Nekateri starši so ugotovili, da je koristno uporabljati ogledalo med ščetkanjem, da bi bilo ščetkanje bolj privlačno. Tudi otroci, s katerimi smo se pogovarjali, so ugotovili, da je ogledalo koristno, zato so opazovali gibe ust in videli, kam sega njihova zobna ščetka. Možno je kupiti akrilna ogledala s priseski, ki so lahko koristna, če ugotovite, da ščetkanje v kadi za vašega otroka najbolj deluje.

To je lahko koristno tudi pri zobozdravniku. Tukaj odkrijte druge načine, kako lahko podprete svojega otroka pri zobozdravniku.

Watching others

Parents/caregivers play an important role in looking after their children’s teeth and gums. Children often learn through observation. As a parent, showing your child how you brush and take care of your teeth can be a powerful way to encourage them to adopt similar habits. Some children respond well to watching a sibling or parent brushing their teeth. This is called ‘modelling’. You could consider making a video of a family member brushing their teeth which your child can then watch on repeat. It is important to make sure that whoever you film is using the correct technique