Children with feeding and swallowing problems have a wide variety of symptoms. Not all signs and symptoms are present in every child.
The following are signs and symptoms of feeding and swallowing problems in very young children:
- arching or stiffening of the body during feeding
- irritability or lack of alertness during feeding
- refusing food or liquid
- failure to accept different textures of food (e.g., only pureed foods or crunchy cereals)
- long feeding times (e.g., more than 30 minutes)
- difficulty chewing
- difficulty breast feeding
- coughing or gagging during meals
- excessive drooling or food/liquid coming out of the mouth or nose
- difficulty coordinating breathing with eating and drinking
- increased stuffiness during meals
- gurgly, hoarse, or breathy voice quality
- frequent spitting up or vomiting
- recurring pneumonia or respiratory infections
- less than normal weight gain or growth
As a result, children may be at risk for:
- dehydration or poor nutrition
- aspiration (food or liquid entering the airway) or penetration
- pneumonia or repeated upper respiratory infections that can lead to chronic lung disease
- embarrassment or isolation in social situations involving eating
The above information can be found at: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/swallowing/feedswallowchildren.htm
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact me for a free, no-obligation screening or information packet. You can reach me by calling 312-399-0370 or clicking on the button on the upper-right section of this page. I will be happy to answers any question you have and point you toward beneficial speech therapy resources.
Your Pediatric Feeding Therapist in Chicago,
Karen George
Karen George is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist with extensive experience with feeding issues and disorders. She serves Chicago’s north side conducting in-home Speech and Feeding Therapy in neighborhoods such as Downtown (the Loop), West Loop, River North, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, Bucktown, Roscoe Village, and Wicker Park. Karen’s Feeding practice will begin serving Chicago’s North Shore and Western Suburbs starting in September 2010. Karen started the website Chicago Feeding Therapy in 2010.