Before getting started with a feeding intervention, it's important to determine if your child has any medical or behavioral problems or concerns that could be contributing to his or her eating problems. Obtaining appropriate medical advice and treatment will greatly increase the chances that your eating intervention will be successful.

Some of the more common medical conditions that can adversely affect the eating of children with and without special needs include:

• Gastroesophageal reflux (GER)
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Food allergies
• Oral motor delays
• Dysphagia
• Delayed gastric emptying or motility problems
• Cardiac problems
• Respiratory disease
• Metabolic disease

If your child has any chronic health condition, you should discuss it with your doctor to determine if there is a possible relationship between it and your child's eating or eating problem. It is very important to identify and address any medical conditions that could interfere with eating, prior to starting an intervention.

You should also consider any medications that your child is taking. The side effects of medications - such as nausea, constipation, diarrhea, or irritability - can make eating more difficult. Some medications can even act as appetite suppressants. It's important to discuss the potential side effects of all your child's medications with your doctor.

Medical issues are important to address, but so are behavioral concerns. For example, if your child has sleep problems, he or she may be cranky during the day. Or maybe they drink a ton of milk before bed to help them sleep, which could then affect daytime hunger and eating. Improving a child's sleeping may make the eating intervention much easier to implement, since a well-rested child is much more likely to be on board with an eating intervention.

Additionally, children who are aggressive or engage in self-injury will also need to have these behaviors addressed prior to beginning an eating intervention, as treating the eating problem may create more problem behavior for you to deal with.

If your child has severe behaviors that need to be addressed prior to intervening with eating problems, you should contact a behavior analyst. Your best source for finding a local behavior analyst is the Behavior Analysis Certification Board website. If you live in New York, your behavior analyst must also be Licensed. You can verify that your behavior analyst is also a NYS Licensed Behavior Analyst on the NYS Office of Professions website. 

Coming up, how to identify your child's eating problem.

Source:

Williams, Keith E., and Richard M. Foxx. Treating Eating Problems of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities: Interventions for Professionals and Parents. PRO-ED, 2007.