Weaning off NG Tube - Help!

This is quite an old thread, from 2002. There may be little interest from the OP but I can tell you that the best way to get the ball rolling would be to arrange for a speech therapist to do an assessment then provide suggestions for oral stim. Some techniques I've used in the past include touching the face frequently and without any noxious activity (mouth care or suctioning for example); using different textures for facial stim such as velour, terry cloth, toys, temperatures. When the child starts accepting having his face touched without displaying any stress symptoms, you can then start touching his mouth, stroking his lips, pressing his cheeks together gently. Whenhhtat no longer produces stress symptoms you can begin introducing tastes of different sorts by dabbing pudding, pureed fruit or juice on his lips. It's a messy and prolonged process but for most kids it's eventually successful. Realize that this child will have no idea how to move food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing and will have little or no interest in chewing. Persevere.