[Page 1450]A feeding disorder refers to an infant’s or child’s inability or refusal to eat or drink sufficient quantities of food or liquid to obtain adequate nutrition and grow. Children with feeding disorders may display a wide variety of behaviors that include total refusal of any or all foods or drinks, overselectivity by type or texture of food, skill deficits (e.g., an inability to chew food, retain food or liquid in the mouth, or safely swallow the food or liquid), and dependence on a limited or developmentally inappropriate source of nutrition. This entry discusses several medical and biological factors associated with feeding disorders.