Therapy focused on pediatric feeding and swallowing helps kids who have trouble eating and drinking. Feeding challenges may be the result of structural differences, oral motor weakness, poor oral motor coordination, and/or sensory challenges.

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is more common than you might think, affecting an estimated 25% of children. Problems may arise due to difficulty using the mouth, lips, or tongue to control food and liquid while chewing or after taking a sip. Parents may notice red flags like a child who avoids hard to chew foods, difficulty straw drinking or using an open cup, drooling, dropping crumbs or spilling liquid while eating, over stuffing, or pocketing food. Other children may have trouble with the actual process of swallowing. Parents may notice a wet, gurgling voice after swallowing, gagging, watery eyes, an audible swallow, or coughing and choking after eating or drinking. Dysphagia can increase the risk of aspirating food or liquid into the lungs or lead to stunted growth, weight loss, malnutrition, and dehydration. For a comprehensive list of symptoms, look to the website of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.  In addition to motor challenges with feeding, children sometimes have other feeding difficulties or sensory challenges that impact their feeding skills and tolerance for trying new foods. This may cause children to have a severely limited diet which impacts their nutritional intake and ability to eat the family’s typical diet.

Whether oral motor or sensory, therapy provided by a licensed speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist can help children of all ages get back on track. A trained pediatric therapist will work with you and your child to tackle their specific feeding challenges. Whether your child struggles to bottle feed, try new foods, chew effectively, use a straw, or swallow safely, the goal is to make your child comfortable eating and drinking in order to ensuring your child’s health and allowing you both to enjoy mealtime as a family again.

If you suspect your child is in need of feeding and swallowing therapy, All For Kids Pediatric Therapy Clinic in Anchorage, AK, can help. This pediatric therapy clinic offers an array of services, including occupational, physical, and speech-language therapy. You can find out more about their services, as well as reviews from their clients, online. To discuss your child’s needs with one of their experts, give them a call directly at (907) 345-0050 to set up an appointment.