If you have even one of the symptoms, then you could be at risk for aspiration due to dysphagia!
In children, commonly we see aversion or fussy behavior during mealtime, where the parent/ caregiver takes a long time to feed the child. Age-appropriate food intake is absent in these cases due to such behavioral issues.
Some of the common behaviors to look out for are:
Shows interest only in junk food or sweets
Nausea or vomiting during or after a meal
Coughing during meal
Breathing difficulty
Temper tantrum
Crying
Eats only mashed or pureed food
Not chewing the food that is in the mouth (pocketing)
Spitting or throwing the food
Does not chew or bite certain textures of food
Physical aversion to mealtime such as trying to get out of the chair, pushing the spoon or hand away
Takes a long time to finish a small amount of food (over 30 minutes for each meal)
Eats only with phone or TV being played on (or else has temper tantrums)
If left untreated, this can cause various complications such as:
Poor growth of the child and relevant development
Gastric or respiratory issues (in case of unmanaged pediatric dysphagia)
Hyper/ Hypo sensitivity to smell, taste, texture
Deficits in oro motor skills
The individual’s feeding and swallowing skills are assessed, and a treatment plan is developed based on the findings. Intervention will focus on improving the efficiency of swallowing skills through various rehabilitation exercises, and compensatory techniques.
Contact us now if you have queries or like to have a quick screening for swallowing
