Feeding Disorders
A pediatric feeding disorder is diagnosed when children fail to consume an adequate quantity or quality of solids or liquids to sustain growth. Feeding disorders are fairly common in infants and toddlers, with approximately 25 percent to 40 percent of these children experiencing some difficulties with feeding. The incidence of severe feeding problems has been reported to be even greater—as high as 80 percent—in children with severe to profound mental retardation. In fact, the number of children affected by feeding disorders is growing because medical advances have reduced the mortality rate of children born prematurely, a population especially at risk.
Feeding disorders typically develop for several reasons, including medical conditions (food allergies), anatomical or structural abnormalities (defects of the palate), and behavioral mismanagement (e.g., early or delayed introduction of solid foods, excessive parental anxiety during meals or delivery of inappropriate consequences for food refusal). In most cases, no single factor accounts for a child’s feeding difficulties. Rather, several factors interact to produce them.
Awareness of risk factors and clinical presentations of feeding disorders, combined with appropriate referrals at an early age, will produce the best outcomes for children and their families.
Examples, Subsets and Synonyms for Feeding Disorders
- Oral Motor Dysfunction (dysfunctional swallow, dysphagia, oral motor dysphagia)
- Food Refusal/Selectivity
- Failure to Thrive
- Short Gut Syndrome
- Gastrointestinal disorders
Related Marcus Autism Center Clinical Programs
Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program
Related Marcus Faculty:
Additional Resources
Penn State Children's Hospital
(http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/healthinfo/f/feeding.htm)
University of South Alabama
(http://www.southalabama.edu/speechandhearing/parents.html)
Dysphagia Resource Center
(www.dysphagia.com)
The Food and Nutrition Information Center
(www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/)
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN)
(www.foodallergy.org)
American Dietetic Association
(www.eatright.org)
Centers for Disease Control
(www.cdc.gov)
Nutrition.gov
(www.nutrition.gov)
Healthfinder: Your Guide to Reliable Health Information
(www.healthfinder.gov)
Mayo Health Clinic
(www.mayohealth.org)
Consumer Lab.com
(www.consumerlab.com)