Effects of Dysphagia Treatment Applied to Infants with Pierre Robin Syndrome – Single Subject Research Design

Abstract

Pierre Robin syndrome is characterized by micrognathia, glossoptosis, and cleft palate. Infants with Pierre Robin syndrome causes feeding difficulty, upper airway obstruction, and other symptoms. This study aims to examine the effects of applying dysphagia treatment to infants with Pierre Robin syndrome. The study participant was an infant who was born four weeks premature and referred for dysphagia treatment approximately 100 days after birth. At the initial assessment, the infant showed oral sensory sensitivity, a high level of facial and masticatory muscle tension, and a low stability of the chin and cheeks with almost no normal “sucking-swallowing-breathing” pattern. We set the baseline period and intervention period using the AB design. During the baseline period, non-nutritive sucking training using a rubber nipple was conducted without implementing an oral stimulation intervention. During the intervention period, non-nutritive sucking training and an oral stimulation intervention were performed. After the intervention period, the infant’s daily oral intake and oral intake per time significantly increased compared to that during the baseline period. We observed that the oral intake time of the infant decreased during the intervention period compared to that in the baseline period, which indicated an improvement in control over the chin, tongue, and lip movements, a change in muscular tension, and stabilization of the “sucking-swallowing-breathing” pattern. We provided dysphagia treatment before breastfeeding, it was positive effects such as normal development of the infant, transition from tube feeding to bottle feeding, and enhancement of overall oral motor function.