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Home › Articles › Health Issues › Dysphagia

Dysphagia

A Hard Problem to Swallow

By Mary Dixon Weidler

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Hunnicutt says Mary was a large full-term baby, who had no trouble nursing, but started to show signs of a problem during the transition to semi-solid baby food. "She would choke or gag on the softest items, even pureed and creamed foods," Hunnicutt says. "Eventually she'd start protesting as soon as we put her in the high chair, refusing to eat at all."

child

Treating Dysphagia
Before your toddler starts starving herself, you should express your concerns to your pediatrician, Dr. Barsky says. "From that point, the doctor will order a feeding observation to see where the problem is," she says.

"We send the patient to swallow evaluation," Reville says. "Our feeding team – a speech pathologist, a developmental pediatrician, an occupational therapist and a nutritionist – will evaluate and make recommendations."

If the child is in danger of asphyxia, a modified barium swallow may be ordered. Barium is mixed with the child's favorite food, then an X-ray is taken of the swallow to see if it follows the proper path to the stomach. Once the problem is located, a feeding recommendation is made. "Sometimes it's just a change of food texture or change of nipple type," Dr. Barsky says. "More serious cases may require tube feeding or therapy. Sometimes the parents can help out with head inflexions."


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