Is Your Child Having Trouble Transitioning To Solid Food?

Why Do Some Children Have Difficulty Transitioning To Pureed, Chunky Or Solid Foods?
Just like the muscles in our arms and legs, sometimes the muscles in our lips, cheeks and mouth lack the strength or coordination to participate in eating and talking. Some children might experience muscles that are too tight, weak or lack coordination to learn how to eat new foods. Other children may have difficulty controlling their responses to touch, texture, taste and temperature. They may gag easily, spit out food or refuse to try foods presented to them. This may not be just their demonstration of food preferences but an actual feeding problem. Your doctor may recommend that a feeding evaluation be completed to determine if therapy would be beneficial for your child to improve their eating experience and abilities.

Why Is My Child Being Referred For A Feeding Evaluation With Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy And Physical Therapy?
At Kenny Kids Rehabilitation Program, our pediatric occupational therapists (OTs) and speech language pathologists (SLPs) are skilled at evaluating the different components of your child’s feeding abilities. Our therapists will assess your child’s ability to coordinate the use of their lips, tongue and cheeks to move food around in his or her mouth for safe swallowing. They will also look at your child’s physiological ability to tolerate different textures, temperatures and tastes as he or she begins to expand their diet. If recommended and your doctor approves, a videofloroscopy swallow study will be completed. A physical therapist (PT) may also be included in the evaluation to help determine if positioning, trunk control and muscle tone are interfering with your child’s feeding abilities. After your evaluation is completed, the therapists will provide recommendations regarding treatment or activities for you to do at home.

If your doctor also recommends an evaluation with a pediatric dietician, we will work with them for a holistic approach to treating your child.

What Can I Do At Home?
Begin to observe your child’s feeding habits. Pay attention to information regarding the type of food, amount eaten, length of time it takes to eat, and your child’s feeding environment. Kenny Kids Rehabilitation Program will send you history forms where this information can be recorded. Please complete these forms prior to your initial evaluation.

Learn More About Developing Your Child's Feeding Skills

• New Visions
  1124 Roberts Mountain Road
  Faber, VA 22938
  800-606-7112
  www.new-vis.com
  
• American Speech-Language Hearing Association
  10801 Rockville Pike
  Rockville, MD 20852
  1-800-638-8255
  www.asha.org

Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute
Kenny Kids Pediatric Rehabilitation Program
3111 124th Ave. NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
763-236-7337
763-236-8966 fax

First published: 06/27/2005
Last updated: 06/27/2005

Reviewed by: Sara Rohde, OTR/L, coordinator of the Kenny Kids program