PEDIATRIC FEEDING DISORDER (PFD): AN OVERVIEW

The ability to eat and drink safely requires an intricate combination and coordination of skills. It is the single most complex and physically demanding task an infant will complete for the first few weeks, and even months, of life. Here are some facts that may help you better understand PFD:

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• A single swallow requires the use of 26 muscles and 6 cranial nerves working in perfect harmony to move food and liquid through the body. When one or more pieces of the feeding puzzle are missing, out of order, or unclear, infants and children can have difficulty eating and drinking.

• Pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) is impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction.

• Conservative evaluations estimate that PFD affects more than 2.3 Million children under the age of 5 in the United States each year.

• For infants and children with PFD, every bite of food can be painful, scary, or impossible, potentially impeding nutrition, development, growth, and overall well-being.

--adapted from Feeding Matters