Pediatric Feeding Disorder
PFD- WHAT IS IT?
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.
PEDIATRIC SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF PFD
Medical
labored breathing with and without feeding
color changes in lips or face when eating or drinking
sweating when eating or drinking
gurgle or squeaking sounds with and without feeding
Reoccurring upper respiratory infections
crying, arching, coughing,
grimacing when eating or drinking
suspected food allergies
multiple formula changes
vomiting
never seems hungry
physical discomfort when eating or drinking
Nutrition
unable to eat or drink enough to grow or stay hydrated
insufficient or too rapid of a change in weight or height
lack of a certain nutrient, i.e., iron, calcium
need for nutritional supplements
reliance on a particular food for nutrition
need for enteral feeds for nutrition-NG, GT, TPN
constipation
limited dietary diversity for age
too few fruits and/or vegetables
limited or no protein source
too few foods eaten on a regular basis
Feeding Skill
labored, noisy breathing or gasping
coughing, choking, gagging or retching
gurgles or wet breaths
loud and/or hard swallows or gulping
unable to eat or drink enough for optimal growth
excessively short mealtimes (˂ 5 minutes)
excessively long mealtimes (˃ 30 minutes)
need for thickened liquids
need for special food or modified food texture
need for special strategies, positioning or equipment
grazing between scheduled mealtimes
refusal to eat, drink or swallow certain food textures
needs distraction to eat such as screen time
needs excessive praise/threats/bribes to eat
difficulty chewing age-appropriate foods
unable to eat in new or unfamiliar situations
Psychosocial
unable to come to or stay with the family at meals
refusal to eat what is offered or to eat at all
disruptive mealtime behaviors
unable to eat with others present at mealtimes
child stress, worry or fear during meals
caregiver stress, worry or fear when feeding child
presence of bribes, threats, yelling at mealtimes
need for distraction and/or rewards for eating
unpleasant mealtime interactions between caregiver and child
Reach out to us for a feeding evaluation if you have concerns with any of the signs and symptoms listed above. We can reached at (920) 803-1617.
Blog written by: Mazal Karan, MS, SLP-CF
