Pediatric Swallowing & Feeding

At Vegas Voice Institute we provide therapy to children and infants experiencing feeding and swallowing issues. Nutrition is important in children to help them grow into strong and healthy adults. When swallowing is impaired it can be a scary and stressful situation for both the child and parent. 

Swallowing and feeding disorders can be the result of brain injury, birth defects, cleft lip and/or palate, cerebral palsy, gastroesophageal disorders (including reflux), and many others health issues. If untreated, children may experience malnutrition, dehydration, or aspiration pneumonia (resulting from food/liquids entering the lungs while swallowing). 

When evaluating pediatric swallowing, we take a thorough case history, including medical records; examine the oral structures and musculature in the child’s mouth via an oral motor exam; trial various liquids and solids at different consistencies to evaluate the swallow efficiency and strength during meal times; but most importantly we look at the child and family as a whole to see how we can help this child best.  

Treatment of pediatric swallowing and feeding disorders may involve teaching strategies to avoid aspiration, decreasing food aversions or behavioral resistance to feeding, modifying food textures or thickness in liquids, and/or changing feeding equipment such as nipples, bottles, cups, or utensils. Parents are a large part of treatment in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. Vegas Voice Institute involves parents in each step of the evaluation and treatment process in order to ensure that the parent feels comfortable doing the strategies at home while not with a therapist. Let us help make eating fun for your child again!