Feeding Disorders

The term “feeding disorder” refers to a condition in which an infant or child is unable or refuses to eat, or has difficulty eating, which can result in frequent illnesses, failure to grow normally, and even death. Feeding disorders should not be confused with eating disorders, such as anorexia, which are more common in adolescence and adulthood. Some common types of feeding disorders in children include:

•Dysphagia, a real or imagined difficulty in swallowing
•Food refusal
•Inability to self-feed
•Taking too long to eat
•Choking, gagging, or vomiting when eating
•Inappropriate mealtime behavior
•Picky eating according to food type and texture

Approximately 25% of all children experience feeding disorders. However, they are most common in children with developmental disabilities. There are many medical conditions that can cause feeding problems. Feeding problems often occur in infant and children who are tube fed for extended periods of time due to some other illness or disability. In premature infants, the underdeveloped sphincter muscle, between the stomach and esophagus, can cause the infant to spit up frequently during feedings. Because this is uncomfortable for the child, he or she may not want to eat. Feeding disorders can be caused by food allergies, by difficulty with the movement of the mouth or tongue (oromotor), or may be a cry for attention by a neglected child or a child with a behavioral disorder.

A feeding disorder is diagnosed when an infant’s or child’s continuing failure to eat causes inadequate weight gain or significant weight loss over at least a one-month period and there is no known medical condition or withholding of food that would cause the failure to eat.