May 14, 2018 Approaches to Treating Pediatric Speech, Language, and Feeding Disorders

Speech, language, and feeding disorders are common in children, affecting their ability to grow, thrive, and socialize. Nearly 1 in 12 U.S. children ages 3 to 17 have had a disorder related to voice, speech, language, or swallowing in the past 12 months.

The prevalence is highest among children ages 3 to 6. These disorders are frustrating for children and may lead to behavioral problems, negatively impacting family and school life.

Because speech and feeding habits appear to be unrelated, many parents, and even some health professionals, are unsure where to seek treatment. Speech language pathologists (SLPs) are trained in the anatomy and mechanics of feeding and speech and play a central role in evaluation and treatment. Children’s Specialized Hospital has one of the largest and most comprehensive programs in the state for these disorders. With a team of 14 certified, full-time SLPs, our focus of therapy is to help children and families establish functional feeding and communication skills and improve quality of life.

doctor and kid

This therapy is available for children with many diagnoses including, but not limited to:

  • Aphasia
  • ADHD (Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
  • Developmental apraxia of speech
  • Language-based learning disabilities
  • Stuttering
  • Hearing loss
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Orofacial myofunctional disorders (tongue thrust)
  • Swallowing problems
  • Motor-speech disorders
  • Genetic syndromes

Among the symptoms of speech and language disorders are:

  • Doesn’t smile or interact with caregivers (birth-3 months)
  • Difficulty pronouncing k, g, f, t, d, n p, b, m, h, and w sounds (1-3 years)
  • Doesn’t gesture, point, or make cooing or babbling sounds (12-15 months)
  • Speech that is hard to understand, even for family members (2-3 years)
  • Can’t remember colors, numbers, shapes and letters (5-6 years)

Signs of feeding disorders include:

  • Inability to transition to baby food purees and table foods
  • Aversion to certain food groups or textures
  • Weight loss or poor weight gain

Taking a family-centered approach, we actively involve parents in therapy, which is individually tailored to each child. To encourage language development we target communication through play, working on gestures, signs, and turn-taking. Picture communication systems offer children a means of expression. Using oral motor exercises, children practice sounds, advancing to producing words and phrases. Technology is a valuable tool and we utilize apps and programs specifically designed for nonverbal children. In our Mountainside, NJ, facility we offer highly specialized aquatherapy in our therapeutic pool for children who meet the criteria.

For children with feeding disorders, we work on improving bottle feeding in infants, improving oral-motor and chewing skills to advance a child’s diet, and transitioning children from non-oral to oral feeding. We teach parents strategies for reducing refusal behavior at mealtimes. Parents learn how to present food so the child can be successful at mealtimes.

We form strong bonds with families and have many success stories. One of our therapists treated a 17-month old girl who was nonverbal, communicating with eye movements and grunts and crying in frustration when she could not express herself. After nine months of treatment she could speak in simple phrases. Over the course of therapy she steadily improved and by the time she was a preschooler she was quite verbal, speaking in full sentences. Her parents recently sent us a video of her singing at her kindergarten graduation.

To learn more or schedule an evaluation, call (1-888-CHILDREN [244-5373]).