Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
4-13-2023
Abstract
Feeding problems are estimated to occur in 20-45% of typically developing children worldwide, where 80-90% of children and adults with developmental disorders will have feeding and swallowing problems at some point in their life. In the United Sates, more than one in 37 American children under the age of five annually receive a diagnosis of, and currently have, a pediatric feeding disorder (PFD). Some conditions that contribute to this statistic are Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), sensory processing disorder, and behavior difficulties. To support children with PFD, the University of New Mexico Hospital started the SAFE (Supports and Assessment for Feeding and Eating) pediatric clinic. It provides feeding assessments that focus on behavioral feeding issues, oral motor function, positioning, adaptive equipment, food textures, health screening, and nutrition/diet analysis. An issue we have come across is the gap between receipt of recommendations from SAFE clinic and initiation of feeding therapy or other management from speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Due to limited resources within the state, some families have experienced long waitlists or no availabilities with SLPs especially those living in more rural parts of New Mexico. Our project hopes to address this gap by distributing cookbooks/recipes that provide visual exposure to foods along with sensory play in the form of meal preparation to patients evaluated by the SAFE clinic. Studies have shown that sensory play with food can increase a child’s willingness to try new foods and textures. We hypothesize this project will sooner encourage positive food experiences for children with PFD as they await more in depth services. We also believe it will have a positive impact on underserved children with PFD by making these resources free, culturally diverse, and accommodating for different levels of literacy. It will also be sustainable and easily generalized as these measures can be done at home.
Recommended Citation
Manese, Joleysa Anne S; Osana Abich-Oliva; and Catherine Lin. "Cooking Together to Support Children with Feeding Difficulties." (2023). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc_2023_pediatric_research/6
Comments
Poster presented at Pediatric Research Forum