One in four children has some form of a feeding disorder, and the number increases to eight in 10 in developmentally delayed children. Proper nutrition is vital for children to reach developmental milestones. Children are at risk for a whole host of conditions and diseases without adequate nutrition.
Our multidisciplinary team works with children to improve their eating through feeding sessions and behavior modification. Individual outcome varies, depending on the child's situation. Many children enter the program eating just one or two foods and leave eating nearly 20.
Children who need intensive feeding therapy may have missed the developmental stage of learning to eat for a variety of reasons, and must learn to accept different textures and flavors of food.
As one of only a few intensive feeding programs in the United States, and the first and only program of its kind in Michigan, the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Intensive Feeding Program offers a wide range of diagnostic and treatment programs for children with feeding challenges.
The goal of our program is to help children learn to eat on their own and to educate parents/caregivers to sustain progress at home. Our dedicated professional feeding team takes a multidisciplinary approach to feeding therapy, providing the expertise that can make mealtimes successful, manageable and even enjoyable once again.
Services
Our team works together toward the goal of significantly improved eating outcomes. Our programs address such feeding challenges as:
Total food refusal
Dependence on a feeding tube
Food tolerance difficulties
Restricted eating patterns
Refusal to transition to age-appropriate textures
Recurrent vomiting
Food allergies
These problems are typical for children who may have one or more of the following medical conditions:
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Failure to thrive
Abdominal malformations
Oral aversion
Down syndrome
GI dysmotility - constipation, delayed gastric emptying
Pervasive developmental disorder
Behavioral challenges
Autism spectrum disorders
Diagnostic consultations may include advanced or special services, such as video fluoroscopic swallow study or flexible endoscopic esophageal swallow.
