Feeding Issues with Cerebral Palsy

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Answer

Although people tend to think of eating as something very natural and easy, there are actually many other steps to eating that must be mastered before things like licking and clearing food from a spoon can occur. First, the child must be able to sit and hold their head up on their own. These skills, known as trunk stability and head control, are a sign that the child has enough strength to move his jaw and tongue without moving their head or neck. If your child has difficulty with either of these things I highly recommend you work with a good occupational or physical therapist to help position your child in such a way that these skills are supported when feeding.

Another thing that comes to mind is the power of imitation. Frequently we forget that children do what they see. As an adult, I know to open my mouth for a bite of my favorite cookie dough ice cream or a refreshing lick of a popsicle, but children do not always have the same experiences. I highly recommend that you model for your child exactly what it is that you want him to do. This means eating the same things right along with him. You may even want to sit next to him and look in a mirror so you are looking at the same thing at the same time.

Finally, these skills require advanced jaw strength and stability. There are various exercises that speech language pathologists recommend to help build jaw strength and stability such as learning to bite foods or teethers using their side teeth. I would encourage you to seek out a speech language pathologist with experience in feeding and swallowing disorders to help determine the best exercises to help your child.

Without knowing your child specifically it is difficult to determine exactly where his skills are and the best way to help him. I do commend you for your time, patience, and dedication to helping your child eat orally!

Erin Redle, Ph.D. CCC-OT is a speech-language pathologist and researcher at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He areas of expertise include pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders and early speech motor development.