Chewable Devices Funding Rationale

Chewable Devices help people live their life or makes life better

The use of a chewable device improves the lives of people with (but not limited to):

• Autism
• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Sensory Processing Disorder
• Stroke patients
• Individuals learning to chew and feed
• Individuals that chew/mouth/eat unsafe items
• Individuals who refuse to undertake oral hygiene tasks

Chewable devices:

• Are used to calm in times of high stress, anxiety and de-escalation of behaviour
• Keep individuals calm to carry out their daily activities, enabling greater independence and confidence in the community
• Enables self-soothing in times of anxiety or stress, increasing independence at home and in the community
• Enable users to feel more “grounded” or “present” or focused to carry out daily tasks at home and in the community
• Help prevent infection where individuals bite or suck on their hands, fingers or arms
• Help those who are sensitive to oral stimulation. They are used to desensitise the mouth, lips, and facial areas to enable better feeding
• Are used in situations where an individual is transitioning from tube feeding to being fed orally
• Encourages chewing movements for those who are learning to take solid food
• Decreases sensitivity for those who find it difficult to tolerate teeth brushing and other oral hygiene tasks
• Are used to direct the individual’s attention to certain areas of the mouth for generating speech sounds and improving speech articulation

Chewable Devices are an additional disability support

• Using a chewable device is a strategy in behaviour management and behaviour de-escalation. They provide a calming preventative strategy in a positive way, which is safer than resorting to physical restraint and isolation
• Chewable devices are used to decrease the level of harm in situations where individuals bite others when frustrated, anxious, or stressed. A chewable device is a safer, appropriate alternative
• Chewable devices are specifically designed for people with high oral needs. They provide a dignified and a more socially appropriate way of allowing users to meet their oral needs
• Reduces the need for individuals to seek items in the environment to chew that are potentially hazardous
• Chewable Devices are tools used to increase the engagement of necessary oral hygiene tasks where individuals refuse or are reluctant

Chewable Devices are reasonable and cost effective

• Purchasing of a chewable device has benefits across the day and is used as needed
• Chewable devices can be used across multiple settings to provide consistency and enable independence in the community
• Chewable devices are reusable and washable
• The medical and personal costs associated with infection (where parts of the body are chewed) reduce over time with the use of a chewable device
• Chewable Devices are cost effective as they reduce the potential costs of poor oral hygiene and invasive dental treatment

 Information for Occupational Therapist (OT's) to use when applying for funding for chewable devices.