What is it about?
Children with pediatric feeding disorder benefit from Early Intervention support. Some are excluded from the program because the criteria for eligibility in each state are so different. More children with feeding challenges could access Early Intervention if PFD were a diagnosis that automatically qualified children for the program. Services could also be improved if providers had specific training requirements related to knowledge of feeding, responsive feeding, parent coaching, and use of support strategies at family mealtimes.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
This article discusses use of the new diagnostic term, pediatric feeding disorder, as a qualifying diagnosis for the early intervention program. PFD has a significant developmental impact and families need comprehensive support to address the impact feeding challenges have on relationships, mealtimes, and the entire family. The EI program is ideally suited for supporting children with PFD because services take place in the family's natural environment during a family's mealtimes.
Perspectives
Over the years, parents have shared with me their frustration after having been told that children with feeding challenges are not eligible for EI services. It is my hope that the EI system puts in place specific and consistent standards for eligibility determination so that children with PFD are granted access to EI and can take advantage of the developmentally supportive services provided. There is potential for therapists to learn more about responsive feeding and incorporating responsive feeding in family mealtime routines. Helping to incorporate children in those routines enables access to the multiple learning opportunities occurring at mealtimes.
Stephanie Cohen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Pediatric Feeding Disorder in Early Intervention: Expanding Access, Improving Outcomes, and Prioritizing Responsive Feeding, Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, June 2022, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2022_persp-20-00259.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
