Common Breastfeeding / Bottle feeding Difficulties

  • Difficulty latching
  • Clicking sound during feeding
  • Always seems hungry, feeds frequently, seems to guzzle milk/formula
  • Fussiness during or after feeding
    • ex: crying, arching their body, pulling off the nipple, etc.
  • Symptoms of Colic or  Reflux
    • ex: having to be held a lot, or held more upright after feeding)
  • Excessive spit-up or vomiting 
  • Milk / Formula leaks out of the mouth excessively
  • Difficulty switching from breast to bottle
  • You may have had to try several different bottles and/or nipples before finding one that your child will “take”.  

Feeding difficulty can also impact older children, teens, and adults.

 Common Feeding Difficulties

  • Difficulty transitioning from breast/bottle to purees
    • not handling purees well – ex: spills out of the mouth, doesn’t get much volume in
    • only wants to nurse or drink bottle, and not showing interest in purees after many tries
  • Difficulty weaning from the breast/bottle to a straw or cup
    • You may have had to try many different types of cups until you found one they will “take”; or they will only accept one type/brand of cup
  • Difficulty managing foods in the mouth
    • spits out pieces, especially when there are lumps/small pieces mixed into foods
    • prefers to eat only soft foods, and avoids foods that require more chewing
    • sucks on foods, or mashes the food to the roof of the mouth, or pockets food in cheeks
    • seems to swallow foods before fully chewed up
    • stuffing a lot of food in the mouth at once
  • Speed of eating is too fast or too slow
  • Guzzling down liquids very fast
  • Gagging, Choking, Vomiting during a meal (many possible causes)
  • Limited amount of food consumed at each meal
    • may eat less at meals and eats more snack foods
    • may drink more liquids than eating foods
  • You or the Doctor may have concerns with their nutrition, growth, and/or weight
    • you may have added the use of “toddler formulas” or supplements (ex: Pediasure) because you’re concerned about nutrition.
  • Feeding Difficulty can also impact older kids, teens, & adults
  • Myofunctional issues are those which affect children over 4 years of age, as well as teens and adults.  Feeding difficulty is one of many possible symptoms of a myofunctional disorder. It is important to note that it is evaluated, and addressed differently in therapy, for these older age groups, than those of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. 

Common Picky Eating Difficulties

  • Limited variety of foods eaten
    • Limits their diet to one food group (ex: only eats carbs)
    • Only eats the same few foods every day 
    • Only eats a specific brand & flavor of food (ex: only Dannon’s brand of vanilla yogurt, or only a specific restaurant’s chicken nuggets, etc.) and refuses other brands/flavors
  • Food refusal
    • Refuses specific tastes or textures (ex: only eats crunchy foods;  avoids “mushy” foods; only eats bland foods, etc.)
    • Refuses any new foods or familiar foods that have been prepared differently
  • Mealtime tantrums
  • Gagging and/or Vomiting at mealtimes (many possible causes)
    • may occur at the sight of new or disliked foods
  • You or the Doctor may have concerns about nutrition, growth, or weight
    • For children: You may have added the use of “toddler formulas” or supplements (ex: Pediasure) because you’re concerned about nutrition
    • For adults: You may be using nutritional supplement powders, shakes, or pills
  • Picky Eating can impact children of any age, as well as teens, & adults
    • Picky eating typically begins as a feeding difficulty early on in infancy or childhood 

 

 

 

Speech Difficulty can also impact older children, teens, and adults.

  Common Speech & Language Difficulties

  • Difficulty producing sounds 
    • Substituting one sound for another
    • Dropping sounds from the middle or end of words
    • Struggles with specific sounds even after previous speech therapy
  • Unclear Speech
    • Mumbling
    • Single words are clearer than phrases or sentences 
  • Apraxia  = difficulty coordinating the complex oral movements needed to create sounds, combine them into syllables, then into words, and then words into phrases.
  • “Late Talker”  and  delayed speech & language skills 
  • Speech Difficulties can impact children of any age, as well as impacting teens, and adults
    • Difficulty with certain sounds, or pronunciation of words
    • Difficulty communicating with peers, affecting social interactions
    • Worry about  other’s perception of their speech
    • Strain or Tension felt in the face, neck, back, or shoulders  when speaking, presenting or singing.

 Common Tongue-Tie Difficulties – For Children & Adults

  • Difficulty producing sounds or speech is unclear
    • Sounds may be distorted or imprecise
    • Struggles with specific sounds even after previous speech therapy
  • Difficulty with eating:
    • For infants & children – difficulty transitioning to different food types 
    • For children & adults – difficulty managing food in the mouth 
  • Airway, Oral & Dental Issues – For Children & Adults:
    • Mouth breathing
    • Frequent congestion and respiratory illnesses
    • Excessive drooling
    • Misalignment of teeth, Jaw issues/pain
    • Snoring & Sleep Apnea symptoms
  • Whole Body Effects – For Children and Adults:
    • For infants & children – may have Torticollis
    • For children & adults – May experience neck, shoulder, or back tension, and body misalignment. 
    • Strain or Tension felt in the face, neck, back, or shoulders,  when speaking, presenting, or singing.
  • Myofunctional issues are those which affect children over 4 years of age, as well as teens and adults.  They include many of the issues mentioned above, as well as others. It is important to note that myofunctional evaluations and therapy, are different for these older age groups, than the evaluations and therapy for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.