Feeding Disorders
Feeding is an intricate combination and coordination of skills. It is the single most complex and physically demanding task an infant will complete for the first few weeks, and even months, of life. A single swallow requires the use of 26 muscles and 6 cranial nerves1 working in perfect harmony to move food and liquid through the body. When one or more pieces of the feeding puzzle are missing, out of order, or unclear, infants and children can have difficulty eating and drinking.
Pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) is impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction. Conservative evaluations estimate that PFD affects more than 1 in 37 children under the age of 5 in the United States3 each year. For these infants and children, every bite of food can be painful, scary, or impossible, potentially impeding nutrition, development, growth, and overall well-being.
Assessment of feeding disorders may involve gathering case history information, conducting a thorough assessment of your child's oral structures to rule out structural or functional causes, an evaluation of prefeeding skills, an assessment of readiness for oral feeding, an evaluation of breastfeeding or bottle-feeding ability, and observations of caregivers feeding the child. The assessment information will be used to determine goals for treatment and determine the frequency and intensity of services needed to remediate the feeding disorder.