Pediatric Feeding Podcast

Pediatric feeding disorders can have a variety of causes and can be challenging for both children and their families. Interprofessional collaboration is essential in treating these disorders, as different professionals bring unique expertise and perspectives. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) focus on swallowing and speech factors, while occupational therapists (OTs) address motor function and sensory issues. Dieticians focus on nutrition, and medical professionals like gastroenterologists and pediatricians provide specialized knowledge. Collaborating with these professionals can enhance treatment outcomes and provide valuable insights. SLPs have the opportunity to work closely with families and serve as a connection between different professionals. Collaboration can be challenging due to scheduling and defining areas of expertise, but the benefits outweigh the difficulties. Open communication and shared assessments are key in providing the best care. Despite challenges, collaboratio It's not just about eating. I'm Lael. And I'm Amanda. And we're going to talk to you about pediatric feeding and really get the scoop on teamwork at the table, how interdisciplinary collaboration transforms pediatric feeding care. So this is important because pediatric feeding disorders are characterized as a developmentally inappropriate way for chewing, eating, swallowing, and can cause a variety of problems that we're going to be sure to target with y'all today. It really gets to the heart of why we need interprofessional collaboration when we're treating pediatric feeding disorders. There's behavioral components, there's sensory components, there's medical components, and to get these kids the nutrition that they need, we really need to collaborate with other professionals in related fields. Me and Amanda really wanted to take you on this journey as we ask each other questions and really discuss pediatric feeding and the experiences that we've had along the way as well. So my personal experience is that I've had one client with PANS-PANDAS and also a diagnostic client who had trauma-related food aversions. And so I was wondering, Amanda, why this topic is important to you. This topic is so near and dear to my heart because one of my dearest clients struggles with a pediatric feeding disorder and just to make conversations with families who are grappling with this diagnosis, it is so impactful to their everyday mealtimes, everyday family relationships. Pediatric feeding disorders are not just a health issue, but also such a social challenge. You know, sitting down to mealtimes and dealing with meltdowns and tantrums is so exhausting for the children who are experiencing these pediatric feeding disorders and their families. So anything that we can do to go above and beyond in the care of these clients is a step that we should take, even if it's a little bit more challenging. Interprofessional collaboration is not easy, it's not the shortcut, it's not the fastest way to get everything done, but it's going above and beyond, it's taking an extra step for the sake of our clients and families. And I think that's a great transition into this first point that we wanted to make, which was no man or woman is an island and that you don't have to do this alone. So do you want to speak more to that? Yeah, as professionals, you know, we are able to have access to amazing information on the internet and we are trained in, you know, diagnosing pediatric feeding disorders, looking at the motor components, the sensory components, and connecting with our colleagues in occupational therapy, nutritionists, dieticians, and even physicians is the best way to expand our knowledge, but also just give the highest level of care to our clients. So our takeaway number two is to really talk about why collaboration matters, and that's why we're talking about the interpersonal collaboration. So specifically SLPs, we want to focus on swallowing and the speech factors that go along with these disorders. OTs will focus primarily on the motor function and the sensory, and we really don't think about all the sensory components while eating, but there really is so much when it comes to taste, texture, what you like and what you don't like. Dieticians focus on the nutritional component, the nutrients that we need for beneficial growth. The medical professionals like GI, ENT, pediatrician, there are just so many professionals that can be kind of complicated whenever you're a parent trying to talk to all of these different professionals and using all the medical lingo that we don't always know. And then psychologists, behavioral specialists, especially in relationship to food aversion, family dynamics, different kids come from different backgrounds, different cultures, and that comes with a whole different set of preferences and differences that are hard to navigate. Yeah, and as SLPs, we have the opportunity to work with families over a long period of time. When you think about it, your primary care physician, a dietician, you know, you're going to have kind of a one-off meeting with them and probably not be in consistent contact with them. But as SLPs, we're seeing these clients probably each week. And so we have the opportunity to be kind of a point of connection between the physician, the dietician, and the family. And we can help them to understand some of that professional lingo and connect them to the information that they need. And we're not just connecting our families to these other professionals. We are gaining so much valuable insight and information from these other professionals. I think about the sensory regulation techniques and strategies that I've gained from occupational therapy. I think about understanding proximal stability and distal mobility from physical therapy. These simple strategies and bits of information can make key differences in the way that we treat our clients each week. And I personally would argue that the family is the most important part of this whole process. Wouldn't you agree? Yeah, I totally agree. And I think that's really because feeling happens daily at home. The parents are the ones that are there for every single meal. And they're the ones empowering them, helping build their skills. And they're the ones consistently teaching these strategies that fit into their routines. And these strategies are being taught to the parents. So they need to be sure to understand it completely so that they can implement it the best way possible. Okay, that all sounds great. But I want to get down into the dirt and worms of what this concept looks like in action for SLPs. So I think SLPs can look in a variety of ways, through shared assessments, different team meetings, and really ensuring that communication is pivotal. I mean, I think it's also the most important part of just making sure that everyone's on the same page, that everyone is educating each other in the process. And that really is the best way that treatment can be provided. What other ways do you think this can be put into action? Well, truthfully, I love the idea of shared assessments. Regular team meetings are a great concept. But truthfully, there are so many challenges. Scheduling is difficult. The areas of professional overlap can be difficult to define exactly. You know, we all have different areas of interest and expertise. And not every occupational therapist knows in-depth knowledge about pediatric senior disorders. Same with physical therapy. Same with primary care physicians. And so outlining those areas of professional overlap takes time. And it takes intentional communication and conversation. You know, we all have different philosophies within our field for how we treat these disorders. And we can run into different philosophies across interprofessional boundaries. And so truthfully, I think a lot about these challenges when I'm taking a look at interprofessional collaboration. And I was wondering why you prioritize that collaboration anyway, despite those challenges. I feel like, honestly, there's just way more pros than cons when it comes to them interprofessional and their disciplinary communication. Honestly, the only cons that can come from communicating too much are whenever those lines can get a little blurred or our own feelings may be heard. If an 02-year PD says something that we might not agree with. But that's when the client advocacy comes into play. And we want what's best for our clients. And so at the end of the day, that's really what matters. And so the best way we can do that is by bringing every single aspect into feeding holistically for our client and doing them through each perspective that they have to deal with every single day and that their caregiver has to deal with every day. And so it's not always just about ourselves, where the lines may get blurred. But it's really about our client. I really like that context. It really shows that collaboration means progress. And even though it may take some investment of time and energy resources on the front end, interprofessional collaboration supercharges our client's progress. And it will get them in and out of therapy in a much shorter time period. So it really is worth it for us, for the payer source, and for our clients and families. A resource that I wanted to bring to attention. Have you heard of my RFID lives on Instagram? I don't think so. Yeah, it's so cool. It's Hannah, I believe it could be Leah, and Michelle Dorrit. And Hannah is a young girl. I don't remember exactly how old she is. I think probably seven or eight-ish. I could be wrong. And she has been diagnosed with RFID. This is a feeding disorder, the avoidant restrictive food intake, from what I can remember. And basically, she videos different food trials, trying different types of food. Some preferred and some non-preferred. I've seen these. Yeah, it's really cool. And I mean, her different videos are honest. She might not always have the best reaction to food because she doesn't like it. And so it's really cool to see how she is dealing with RFID every single day, through each meal, and is honest about what she's going through. And something that I thought was really cool is that oftentimes the mom will go live on Instagram, and will go live with an occupational therapist or the physical therapist that they're working with, to provide other people, other parents, other kids who have similar food avoidances or negative reactions, for them to say, hey, I'm not alone. I have someone else who's going through something similar. And also, these are realistic professionals and resources that could be helpful to my journey as well. She also will list different specific accommodations at school. Some things that I saw were preferred seating, having snack breaks whenever she needs them, and even things that we may not think about, like whenever it's a kid's birthday at class, and they'll bring cupcakes. And maybe that's not one of my preferred foods because I don't like the texture of the food I'm being brought. We wanted to leave you with a final thought. I have been reading a book on building interprofessional friendships. And I just wanted to share a thought that she brought up in her book about investing in interprofessional friendships. So what I want to encourage you to do is take the time to invest in an interprofessional friendship. Maybe you have an occupational therapist, a physical therapist who you've been to professionally, but you don't spend time with outside of the workday. And I just want to encourage you to get coffee, go to a yoga class, take a walk together, and just start living life together and see what kind of conversations pop up organically. Learning from each other in the context of the friendship is one of the best ways to bump up your level of knowledge. What do you think, Will? I think, honestly, sometimes that can be uncomfortable. You know, that's outside of our normal comfort zone. Especially, I want to speak to the parents here. I think there's great value, like Hannah's story, where her mother is consistently advocating to speak to different health care professionals. And that's uncomfortable, too, you know. And so at the end of the day, it's just being vulnerable, putting ourselves out there, and really doing what's best for our children and our clients. And providing that acceptance while also finding them the best possible commit story strategies and the reasons that they need to succeed. So our primary takeaway through all of this is that pediatric feeding disorder treatment requires collaboration. Because it's not just about eating. It's about the whole child's health, development, and family life. Thanks for listening. This is A&R Podcast. See you later. Like and subscribe. Comment below.