Difficulties with feeding in infancy and childhood can be stressful for families.
Many of the same muscles that are responsible for speech are also used for feeding; thus the link between early feeding development and speech.
A speech pathologist has a unique knowledge of the head and neck anatomy and function, and may be able to help with many aspects of feeding from birth including:
- Difficulties with breast or bottle feeding attachment, sucking or swallowing
- Difficulty transitioning to solids or across food textures (e.g. to lumpy foods)
- Difficulty drinking from a cup
- Gagging on food
- Difficulty chewing
A speech pathologist can assess various feeding difficulties arising from issues with muscle tone, coordination, anatomy or sensory integration.
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s feeding or associated weight gain/failure to thrive, a speech pathology assessment may be able to help.
