Transition from Tube Feeding to Oral Feeding: A Case Study of Comprehensive Support for a Child and His Mother

Abstract

The present report describes the support system used by staff members of a day-care center for children with intellectual disabilities for a 38-month-old boy with feeding problems. When the child was 13 months old, he had had an operation for gastro-esophageal reflux, and showed no functional medical problem relating to oral feeding. However, in the 2 years after the operation, he had had difficulty transferring from tube- to oral-feeding. The staff members considered his level of readiness for oral feeding, including the development of oral function and feeding behavior, and carefully started supporting the boy and his mother at the center, not trying to shift immediately from tube- to oral-feeding. After the staff had recorded the boy's lunchtime behavior on videotape and had collected written documents, they discussed his case with professionals, including his physician, a health nurse in charge of the family, and his speech-language-hearing therapist (the present author). Information was shared about other aspects of the boy's situation, such as his nutritional status, his relationship with his mother, and the goal of the proposed support. The present article describes the process of the case, the manner in which support was provided, and the outcome for the boy. This case suggests that it is important to provide comprehensive support for the development of oral feeding, a critical domain for children who are intellectually and developmentally delayed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)(journal abstract)