Feeding Intervention
Therapeutic support for infants and children with difficulties related to feeding and nutrition.
Feeding intervention addresses challenges that infants and young children may experience with breast or bottle feeding, transitioning to solid foods, managing different food textures, and developing age-appropriate self-feeding skills. Feeding difficulties can arise from prematurity, neurological conditions, structural anomalies, sensory processing differences, or medical complexities.
Pediatric feeding disorders can impact a child's nutritional status, growth, and development, as well as family mealtime dynamics and caregiver stress. A comprehensive feeding evaluation examines the child's oral motor skills, sensory responses to food, swallowing safety, positioning, and the mealtime environment to develop an individualized treatment plan.
Speech-language pathologists specializing in pediatric feeding work collaboratively with families, pediatricians, gastroenterologists, dietitians, and occupational therapists to address feeding concerns. Intervention may include oral motor therapy, sensory-based strategies, behavioral approaches, caregiver coaching, and systematic food introduction to expand the child's diet safely and effectively.
Signs & Symptoms
- •Difficulty latching or maintaining suction during breast or bottle feeding
- •Gagging, coughing, or choking on age-appropriate food textures
- •Refusing new foods or limiting diet to very few items
- •Poor weight gain or failure to thrive
- •Prolonged mealtimes that are stressful for the child and family
Treatment Approaches
- •Oral motor therapy to improve strength and coordination for feeding
- •Systematic desensitization and gradual introduction of new textures
- •Positioning and environmental modifications for safer, more comfortable feeding
- •Caregiver coaching on responsive feeding strategies
- •Collaboration with medical and nutritional professionals for comprehensive care
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