Regarding "Effects of consistent food presentation on oral-motor skill acquisition in children with severe neurological impairment" (Dysphagia 15:213-223, 2000)
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J C Arvedson.
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Decisions for management of feeding and swallowing problems in infants and children are likely to be most effective in a professional team approach with caregivers. Optimal management relies on optimal assessment. This article focuses on management strategies that involve "food rules," the position and posture changes, alterations in food and liquid attributes, oral-motor and swallow function, utensil changes, adjustments in feeding schedules and pacing, and behavioral intervention with failure to thrive in the context of global issues for children who are oral and nonoral feeders.
Young children with limited communication abilities are often difficult to diagnose. When a neurologic insult occurs prior to language development, the communication effects tend to be less predictable than when the same event occurs in an older child or in an adult with a history of "normal" language use. Information in the medical chart regarding status during prelinguistic periods for cognition, motor, and verbal function should be helpful in predicting outcomes in some instances, but a series of decisions, over time, are likely to be necessary to reach a definitive communication diagnosis. As children become more verbal, the characteristics of the motor speech system can lead to new or changing diagnoses.
Early identification of and intervention for all children who have hearing impairments remain unattained goals in the United States. Physicians typically are the first persons to obtain the medical and family history of infants and children and are the primary professionals confronted with parental concerns about hearing loss. Heightened awareness of the common causes of hearing loss in infants and children can facilitate prompt and appropriate referrals to audiologists when hearing loss is suspected. A strong and interactive relationship between physician and audiologist is needed to attain the common goals of providing the earliest and best possible diagnosis of and optimal management for hearing impaired pediatric patients.
UNLABELLED: Post-operative feeding techniques for infants following primary repair of cleft lip vary considerably. Recommendations range from immediate return to nipple feeding post-operatively to abstinence from nipple feeding for up to 6 weeks. Different surgeons prescribe different post-operative feeding protocols among and within centers. The purposes of this retrospective study (n = 42) were to: (1) identify the specific nonnipple feeding guidelines given to caregivers prior to surgery and the duration for those practices to be used in the post-operative period, (2) describe caregiver compliance, and (3) identify post-operative complications (e.g. dehiscence) related to type and duration of feeding strategies. Feeding guidelines included: nonnipple feeding for 6 weeks (n = 28, 67%), 3 weeks (n = 6, 14%), 2 weeks (n = 6, 14%), and unrestricted return to nipple (n = 2, 5%). Nearly all caregivers (n = 37, 88%) complied with recommendations. The others (n = 5, 12%) returned their infants to nipple feeding sooner than recommended (three in the nonnipple group for 6 weeks, and one each in the other two groups). No medical/surgical complications were related to feeding strategies. CONCLUSION: caregivers typically comply with post-operative feeding recommendations. However, the variability in those recommendations should be reduced with feeding made as easy as possible and not a jeopardy to wound healing.
A team approach is advocated for the evaluation and management of children with impairments in deglutition. The complexity of their needs requires the coordination of evaluation and management efforts so that the impact of a child's feeding/swallowing impairment on general health, development, and overall well-being may be addressed. This article reviews the rationale supporting the use of a team approach, the organizational structures of teams, and the challenges of using a team model of service delivery to meet the needs of this population.
Behavioral and interactional aspects of feeding problems are considered within a "total" child approach. Basic principles and guidelines for optimal feeding relationships are presented within a developmental framework. Factors that can underlie behavioral components are discussed. Children with limited appetites and food refusal typically demonstrate poor weight gain, or even weight loss, and are diagnosed as failure to thrive (FTT). Management of their food avoidance is designed to make the eating process enjoyable and nutritionally adequate.
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are bound by ethical codes that reflect professional and institutional commitments. When professional activities involve working with children with dysphagia and other complex medical issues, SLPs frequently must make judgments that have bioethical implications. This article reviews general ethical theories and principles, examines SLPs' ethical commitments, and presents an approach for ethical decision making and reasoning. Case studies of children with dysphagia are presented to illustrate ethical dilemmas.
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Dysphagia in infants and children is usually only one part of a broad spectrum of complex medical, health, and developmental problems. As etiologies vary, so do prognoses. Increased survival rates of infants in recent years have been accompanied by an increased prevalence of neurologic, cardiorespiratory, and structural impairments that can affect nutritional status and feeding function. Knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and normal development of feeding skills is basic to the assessment and management of pediatric dysphagia.
The pattern of referral of infants and children with tracheotomy to speech-language pathology (SLP) was studied through a retrospective review. Less than half (29/62) were referred to SLP with no difference by surgical service (otolaryngology vs pediatric surgery) or length of time with tracheotomy. Younger children were referred far less frequently than older children. Furthermore, more than half of all children referred to SLP showed moderate to severe communication deficits. Central nervous system abnormalities were documented in 66% of the subjects. In the majority tracheotomies were in place longer than 12 months. On the basis of the findings, a protocol was established for early routine involvement of SLP with infants and children with tracheotomy.