Do you know if your child has a feeding disorder or is just a picky eater? Our speech therapist spills the beans on when to seek professional help.

If you suspect your child has a feeding disorder, monitor how he eats the next time. Tell-tale signs are when a child has difficulties chewing and seems to prefer lumpy or liquid foods if given a choice.

Feeding disorders are different from swallowing problems. Unlike the latter, the child is able to swallow puree and liquids. Feeding disorder problems can stem from organic causes such as a cleft palate or children who have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), a neurological condition where they face difficulties in processing information from one or more of their five senses.

Alternatively, psycho-social factors such as being tube-fed at a young age or trauma at birth can cause a child to miss the developmental window of acquiring the necessary skills to chew.

If not addressed, feeding disorders can lead to nutritional problems such as being severely underweight or having slow physical growth. Socially, the child may feel like a 'misfit' as he grows up and realises that his consumption behaviour is different from his friends. Hence, parents need to step in and consult a speech therapist. The good news is that more parents are aware of their child having feeding disorders and seeking professional help earlier.

Be Patient

While feeding disorders can be corrected, parents need to be patient to see improvements in their child. It takes about three months to see a significant change. But the problem may also occur again when the child moves on to the next stage of development. Hence, parents should maintain a long-term perspective in helping their children acquire the right chewing habit.

How you can help your child:

·Work on chewing exercises Practise the chewing motion with your child for 10-20 minutes daily before feeding or during snack time. Repetition will help commit the motion to memory.

·Introduce foods for visual and tactile stimulation Your child may avoid certain types of solid food due to unpleasant experiences, like choking, when younger. Letting him see and touch the food creates a sense of familiarity which will reduce aversion.

·Putting foods close to the mouth This is to aid the child in making use of his four senses, including smell, before he puts the food into his mouth.

·Correcting the bite Ensuring that your child can move food to his molars and bite down properly is the litmus test for ensuring successful chewing.

·Experiment with different kinds of food Let your child explore with a variety of food colours and textures and show him that eating can be fun!