Unpredictable movement of the food can be very uncomfortable. Many children with oral tactile defensiveness also stuff the mouth because it reduces the random tactile input to the cheeks when smaller pieces of food are moved around. Mouth stuffing is also present when a child has difficulty using skillful tongue movements for chewing. Movements may be uncoordinated or limited in direction or strength. When there is a great deal of food in the mouth, a very small amount of tongue movement will push some food to the side for chewing.
Smaller pieces require much more control of movement.
It is important to distinguish between mouth stuffing that is a normal developmental behavior and one that is a compensation for sensorimotor difficulties. Typically developing children have the sensory awareness and the motor skill to remove all food from the mouth at the end of the meal. Children with poor awareness or movement limitations will often leave pieces of food in the mouth after eating. Often parents will find pieces of food pocketed between the gums and the cheeks when they brush their child's teeth at night. Some children are sure that their mouths are empty when there is still food on the tongue or in the pockets.