An Exploration of Feeding Difficulties in Children With Down Syndrome

Abstract

SUMMARY Detailed examination of several aspects of feeding was carried out on a representative sample of a defined geographical population of children with Down syndrome. The examination included standardised assessments both of oral‐motor function and of parent‐child interaction. The findings suggest that the development of oral‐motor function in children with Down syndrome not only lags behind intellectual development, but also follows an aberrant pathway. In particular, specific aspects of tongue and jaw function were impaired together with problems initiating and maintaining a smooth sequence of feeding actions. Also, parent‐child interactions, as in studies on play, tended to be more controlling. Parents of children with Down syndrome do not spontaneously report the extent of their child's feeding problems unless specific enquiry is made, preferably accompanied by observation of feeding. RÉSUMÉ Analyse des difficultés ďalimentation dans le syndrome de Down Un examen détaillé de plusieurs aspects ďalimentation a été entrepris sur un échantillon ďenfants presentant un syndrome de Down dans une population géographiquement bien définie. Les examens incluaient une évaluation standardisée de la fonction oro‐motrice et des interactions parents‐enfant. Les données recueillics suggèrent que le développement de la fonction oro‐motrice chez les enfants atteints de syndrome de Down, non seulement est occulté par le développement intellectuel, mais de plus suit une vote aberrante. En particulier, des aspects spécifiques de fonctions de la langue et de la mâchoire étaient altérés, et il y avait des problèmes pour débuter et maintenir une séquence coulée dans les activités alimentaircs. Comme dans les études sur le jeu, les parents sont apparus plus intervenants. Les parents ďenfants avec syndrome de Down ne font pas spontanément part des problèmes alimentaires de leur enfant si une demande spécifique n'est pas faite, demande qui devrait venir de préférence avec une observation de ľalimentation. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Eine Untersuchung über Fütterungsschwierigkeiten bei Kindern mit Down Syndrom Bei einer reprásentativen Gruppe von Kindern mit Down Syndrom aus einter geogrpahisch definierten Region wurden verschiedene Aspekte beim Füttern genau untersucht. Es handelte sich um standardisierte Beurteilungen der oral‐motorischen Funktion, sowie der Eltern‐Kin‐Interaktion. Die Befunde weisen darauf him, daß die Entwicklung der oral‐motorische Entwicklung im Vergletch zur intellektuellen Entwicklung nicht nur verzögert ist, sondern auch abnorm verläuft. Speziclle Aspekte der Zungen‐und Kieferfunktion waren besonders gestört, was Probleme beim Füttern mit sich brachte. Außerdem waren die Eltern‐Kind‐Interaktionen wie bei Spielstudien eher kontrollierend. Eltern von Kindern mit Down Syndrom sprechen nicht über den Schweregrad der Fütterungsprobleme ihrer Kinder, wenn sie nicht direkt danach gefragt werden, was am besten mit einer Beobachtung des Fütterns verbunden werden sollte. RESUMEN Exploración de las dificultades de la alimentación...

Parental influences on children’s eating behaviour and characteristics of successful parent-focussed interventions

“…Previous research has shown that mothers of children with feeding problems often have higher levels of depression and anxiety (Blissett et al, 2007;Chatoor, Hirsch, Ganiban, Persinger, & Hamburger, 1998;Coulthard & Harris, 2003;Duniz et al, 1996;Lindberg, Bohlin, Hagekull, & Palmerus, 1996;Whelan & Cooper, 2000), emotional distress (Budd et al, 1992), parenting stress (Singer, Song, Hill, & Jaffe, 1990;Spender et al, 1996) and poorer problem-solving abilities (Ünlü, Aras, Guvenir, Buyukgebiz, & Bekem, 2006). Farrow and Blissett (2006b) also reported that in a group of ninety-nine mothers the most common factor associated with feeding difficulties was low self-esteem and feelings of social isolation.…”

Significance of oral health in persons with Down syndrome: a literature review

“…Feeding difficulties expressed by carers are often over and above those associated with the degree of intellectual delay 47 . Progress is further impeded if the child is particularly hypotonic, has a serious cardiac malformation, is markedly immature, or if the parents are not sufficiently motivated to follow specific educational programmes 45 .…”

“…Several longitudinal studies have shown that children with DS take longer to develop the motor coordination necessary for normal feeding 44,45,47 . Feeding difficulties expressed by carers are often over and above those associated with the degree of intellectual delay 47 .…”

“…FUNCTIONAL CONSEQUENCES Many studies address the different feeding problems of subjects with DS as reported by their carers [43][44][45][46][47] . These include problems with breast-and bottle-feeding; slow development of the ability to manipulate food in the fingers and in the use of feeding utensils; the failure to progress through a normal sequence of food textures and the refusal of certain foods, particularly those of a hard texture; behavioural problems such as the refusal to swallow, the spitting out of food, or the retention of food or utensils in the mouth.…”

The Influence of Parenting Practices on Feeding Problems in Preschoolers

“…In addition, a child's problematic feeding behavior can be problematic for parents. Previous research has shown that mothers of children with feeding problems often have higher levels of depression and anxiety (Blissett, Meyer, & Haycraft, 2007;Chatoor, Ganiban, Colin, Plummer, & Harmon, 1998;Coulthard & Harris, 2003;Duniz et al, 1996;Lindberg, Bohlin, Hagekull, & Palmerus, 1996;Whelan & Cooper, 2000), emotional distress (Budd et al, 1992), parenting stress (Singer, Song, Hill, & Jaffe, 1990;Spender et al, 1996), or poorer problem-solving abilities (Ünlü, Aras, Guvenir, Buyukgebiz, & Bekem, 2006). So, feeding problems at an early age can cause major problems in not only the child's life, but the parent's life as well.…”