Benefits of the Special Needs Feeder with Infants with Pediatric Feeding Disorders

2012

Cathleen Piazza
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402-559-2261

Pre-term and chronically hospitalized infants may lack the ability to coordinate the suck-swallow-breathe response effectively enough to maintain nutrition and growth through oral feeding. Tube feeding is required to maintain stable growth often reducing early opportunities for sucking leading to deficits in sucking behavior when the infant is presented with oral bottle feeding. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a SpecialNeeds? Feeder on oral intake and sucking in three infants with pediatric feeding disorders and deficits in sucking behavior. The SpecialNeeds? Feeder is designed so that a caregiver can deposit a controlled amount of liquid into the child?s mouth, even if the child is not sucking. This method resulted in increased oral intake compared to the traditional bottle for all three children and was associated with increases in sucking for two of the three children.

Conference presentations and posters presented

Consumers/Families, Professionals, Policymakers, Students

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N/A