Rumination Disorders

Abstract

Rumination is the deliberate regurgitation, chewing, and swallowing of stomach contents, and operant vomiting is the purposeful expulsion of regurgitated stomach contents from the mouth. Operant vomiting is frequently caused by placing fingers in the mouth or by engaging in tongue thrusting. Rumination has been reported across a wide range of ages and in both typically developing individuals and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but is much more common among the latter. The mean age of onset for typically developing children ranges from 3 weeks to 12 months, while onset among children with intellectual and developmental disabilities may not occur until years later. Rumination in typically developing children is often transient, while rumination in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities may persist for many years. Although no formal data on the prevalence of rumination exist, the prevalence of rumination among individuals with intellectual disabilities is estimated to range from 6 to 10 %. A recent review of the current state of feeding and eating disorders, under which rumination disorder is categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), states that there are insufficient data to determine lifetime prevalence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)