Diagnostics and treatment of feeding and eating disorders

• team approach: gastroenterologist, psychologist, nutritionist and physiotherapist
• The possibility of carrying out “feeding therapy” – Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
  

Early difficulties and eating disorders

Feeding difficulties:

• children with limited appetite
• children with selective food intake
• children with fear of feeding and chewing disorders

Eating disorders:

• refusal of food
• selectivity (pickiness) when taking food
• rumination (putting food back in the mouth and swallowing again)
• consumption of inedible substances (pika)

Eating disorders:

• disorder of the regulation of the state of hunger - satiety
• eating disorder related to parent-child attachment
• infantile anorexia
• sensory aversions (to textures, tastes, colors...)
• post-traumatic eating disorder

Eating disorders:

• anorexia nervosa
• bulimia nervosa
• compulsive overeating
• EDNOS (Eating disorder not otherwise specified)

Overweight and obese children

Consultation about nutrition

• healthy infants, toddlers and older children
• overweight, obese and malnourished children
• children with food allergies
• in case of suspected intolerance of certain food ingredients
• children with chronic diseases and specific nutritional requirements

Nutritional assessment and counseling

After analyzing diet diary with sophisticated nutrition program “PRODI” by a nutritionist it is possible to:

• precisely assess the child’s nutritional status
• calculate intake of calories
• protein, fat and carbohydrates
• minerals, vitamins, fibers and other micronutrients
• calculate optimal energy and nutritional needs for age and body mass
• correct current diet with the ability to create an individualized diet

Feeding Therapy Program

Following the example of top European centers, we have started “Feeding therapy” at our Clinic. This is a, multidisciplinary program for assessing and treating children with various forms of feeding and weight problems. The program uses principles and practices from multiple disciplines, including psychology, pediatrics, occupational therapy, dietetics, and speech-language pathology. The program combines sensory, motor, oral, behavioral/learning, medical, and nutritional factors and approaches, in order to completely evaluate and manage children with such problems.

Our Team is led by an experienced pediatric gastroenterologist and includes a nurse specialist, a dietitian, a pediatric/behavioral psychologist, an occupational therapist and a speech pathologist. We are all committed to helping parents and children identify what is interfering with the child’s eating habits and how best to improve their growth and interaction with food. The principle of the program is based on an individualized approach to each child. It begins with an initial assessment which includes details of the feeding process, but also the overall status of the child, including her/his nutritional needs and nutrition status, sensory processing, oral motor skills, and social/emotional skills. It then continues with a program of parental counseling, and therapy sessions with the child, tailored to the specific problem and the age of the child. The ultimate goal is to teach the child to eat a wider variety of foods and food textures, increase his(her comfort level with food, and improve feeding skills. With the support of EU funds, we are equipped with modern equipment and aids such as “Talk tools” used for improving the feeding process.

Our program addresses feeding difficulties including:

• total food refusal
• food aversion
• selective intake /picky eating
• poor chewing
• feeding tube dependence, delayed feeding skills, challenges in transitioning to age appropriate, textures and consistencies
• fear of eating, restricted eating patterns