The greatest difficulty eating safely is often moving from solid food to liquid (Bernhardt, 2019). Tongue thrust, difficulties in chewing, poor lip closure, and choking can also contribute to difficulties when eating or feeding. This will cause food to lose any of the flavor it once had and delay swallowing. The preference may be sucking on food until it dissolves. The oral phase may present with tongue thrusting and not wanting to chew food. This means that all musculature phases of swallowing are affected. Children with Down Syndrome (DS) may have food selectivity because of low tone. When children smell food that they cannot tolerate, it may inhibit them from eating. Toothbrushing participation can also be difficult.Ĭhildren with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often display food selectivity because of sensory impairment or defensiveness (Leader, 2020). With oral defensiveness, avoidance of oral stimulation, a child may turn down foods with certain textures, because of how they feel in the mouth. The senses involved in eating are multi-fold, and the avoidance of oral stimulation may be a form of touch aversion (Cole, 2018). These sensory sensitivities contribute to difficulties in an important activity of daily living, feeding and eating. Preferred food choices may in part be due to sensory sensitivities. Our food palate does expand with age (Anil, 2019) and presents with some regard to family preferences, but early evaluation and intervention can help insure a varied nutritional diet and encourage certain responses at mealtimes (Curtin, 2015). A smaller appetite and hesitancy to try new foods can be in the range of normal childhood development. Many children get the moniker of “picky eater” and the hope of most parents is that they will just grow out of it. Children can have challenges with any or all parts of the feeding process (Children’s Wisconsin, 2021). The oral-sensory aspect of eating requires the tissues of the mouth to perceive sensory information such as taste, temperature, and texture of food. It is estimated that 5-10% of typically developing children have a serious feeding disorder and up to 80% of children with developmental disabilities (Children’s Wisconsin, 2021). Guest blog written by Occupational Therapy Assistant Student, Juliana Lehman OTASĪdvisement, Editing and Supervision by Deborah Bebeau EdD, OTRĭoes your child gag, turn away from or avoid most foods? Conversely, does your child seek out chewy or crunchy substances consistently throughout the day? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you have plenty of company.Ĭhildren can be hyper-sensitive or under-responsive to oral stimuli (Cermac, 2010).
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FEEDING Z VIBE FULL
When a child is not able to eat a diet full of variety in texture and taste, sensory defensiveness may result. It can be difficult for families to determine exactly when or why a feeding difficulty may have occurred. If this is repeated over time, a resistance to try new foods OR anxiety surrounding eating can result. Often times, when children have a negative experience with eating, a bad memory will form.
It is also important to note that the ability to eat helps develop the oral structures necessary for speech production and vice versa. As the child learns the skills of chewing, including moving food items with the tongue and muscles of the mouth, he develops key skills which will bring about successful eating habits for the future. Babies are born with the innate ability to suck and as their gag reflex disappears, the child begins to accept solid foods with variances in texture and taste.
Typically, when a child does not have an impairment of the GI tract, feeding progresses naturally and is most likely a pleasurable experience. The placement of gastric tubes can further complicate the situation as children who require delivery of nutrition via a tube may not have the opportunity to explore the various tastes and textures of food. As a result, the child may develop resistance or anxiety surrounding feeding.
Children with disorders of the gastro-intestinal tract commonly experience pain during eating.