Seven items on the EFS are used to assess the infant's ability to organize oral-motor functioning. The first few relate to the infant's readiness t...

Seven items on the EFS are used to assess the infant's ability to organize oral-motor functioning. The first few relate to the infant's readiness to feed prior to each nipple offering. The caregiver observes his ability to smoothly engage in feeding at the onset of each feeding episode. Does the infant respond promptly to stroking of the nipple at his lips, or does he become interested in feeding only after repeated stroking or other tactile stimulation, talking to, repositioning, or resting? An infant who is not ready at the onset typically does not open his mouth in response to stroking of his lips. The caregiver may observe inconsistent rooting, an ability to organize the lips and tongue only with repeated stroking of the lips, or movement of the lips or mouth but an inability to organize the lips and tongue to take in the nipple in response to rooting.