An interdisciplinary team approach is utilized in a Family Centered Care atmosphere to ensure family participation in all aspects of care.
Most people take eating for granted, but for some children, eating can be an unpleasant experience.
If there is a problem with oral structure or if early feeding experiences are unpleasant, normal eating can become disrupted. As a result, eating can become unsafe, stressful and many times aversive. Other children may spend long periods of time hospitalized and have unpleasant experiences surrounding feeding, which in time can lead to oral hypersensitivity, feeding aversion and food refusal. Parent or caregiver attitudes towards children who have special feeding needs can indirectly affect the eating process. Some parents see their children as sick well after the initial medical problems have been resolved, and therefore have difficulty setting limits or providing structure and consistency during mealtimes.