[Page 1439]The identification of feeding problems in infancy and early childhood is no simple task because there is no universally accepted definition or classification system. Furthermore, feeding problems are heterogeneous in nature as illustrated by the following list of symptoms of young children with feeding problems: multiple food dislikes (food selectivity, pickiness); partial to total food refusal; difficulty sucking, swallowing, or chewing; vomiting; prolonged subsistence on inappropriate textures (inability to graduate to textured foods); delay in self-feeding; tantrums; and other mealtime behavior problems. In addition, etiological factors contributing to feeding problems are often multifactorial and may interact to lead to the final clinical picture of a child with feeding and/or swallowing problems.

Feeding disorders typically develop for several reasons, including medical conditions (food allergies), anatomical or ...