Is your child showing signs such as picky eating, problems with swallowing, or extreme distress during meals? It is obvious that your child is suffering from a swallowing disorder, which is also known as dysphagia. Feeding challenges are often detrimental to a child’s proper nutrition, physical growth abilities, and even social interaction with others. If these issues are not addressed, they can lead to long-term challenges and deteriorate your child's health conditions.
In this article, you will discover three major signs of when you should seek the help of a feeding therapist for your child.
1. Continuous Avoidance of Specific Textural Foods
Your child's general non-preference for certain textural (for example, crunchy, chewy, soft) foods may denote a more serious sensory complication. This avoidance can affect food intake and thus needs to be addressed to prevent mealtime distress and nutritional inadequacies.
2. Coughing or Gagging During Meal Times
Coughing, gagging, or even vomiting during mealtime and especially frequent occurrence of this activity is a cause for concern. It shows that your child is unable to swallow the food properly as the swallowing muscles are not functioning properly. In such cases, you should not delay and contact a reputed feeding therapist who can give expert guidance on this matter.
3. Limited Variety in Diet
.Children who have difficulties in broadening their diet may become deprived of some important nutrients essential for proper growth and development. A feeding therapist can assist in discovering the problem’s origins and formulating approaches to increase the acceptance of food.
Conclusion
For parents, these symptoms are important to watch for and notice in their children at an early age. If you spot any of these warning signs, don’t hesitate to contact a renowned pediatric feeding therapy center near you. The sooner the intervention, the better it will be setting the foundation for a healthier and more positive relationship with food for your child.
Comments