Feeding and swallowing difficulties in children with Down syndrome.
All swallow phases and orosensorimotor skills are compromised in 2–7-year-olds with Down syndrome—screen feeding early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Pitchford et al. (2019) watched 2- to 7-year-olds with Down syndrome eat and drink. They used checklists and video to score every swallow phase and mouth-movement skill. The same tools were given to kids without disabilities for comparison.
What they found
Every child with Down syndrome showed more feeding and swallowing trouble than peers. Problems showed up in all three swallow phases and in basic mouth-strength and tongue moves. The team labeled the finding 'significantly more difficult' across the board.
How this fits with other research
Laugeson et al. (2014) saw the same story in cerebral palsy: 93.8 % of preschoolers had oral-phase dysphagia. Both studies used quasi-experimental checklists and point to early screening for any developmental diagnosis.
Sappok et al. (2024) looked at Down syndrome too, but focused on heart and motor issues. Their negative motor scores pair with Pitchford et al. (2019)'s feeding scores, painting a full-body picture of low muscle tone.
Schertz et al. (2016) and Laugeson et al. (2014) show memory and executive gaps in the same age group. Together the papers say: expect feeding, thinking, and motor hurdles all at once.
Why it matters
If you work with preschool or early-elementary kids with Down syndrome, add a quick feeding screen to your intake. Watch tongue thrust, liquid loss, and mealtime length. Share results with speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists so oral-motor goals and behavior plans start together.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The anatomical and physiological characteristics such as neuromotor coordination impairments and craniofacial and structural abnormalities frequently interfere with the acquisition of effective oral-motor skills which can in turn result in the development of potential feeding problems and swallowing dysfunction. The present study was undertaken with the aim of assessing the feeding and swallowing problems, if any, in children with Down syndrome in the age range of 2-7 years. METHODS: A questionnaire was formulated and administered on 17 children with Down syndrome (10 females and 7 males) and 47 typically developing children (20 females and 27 males). RESULTS: The present study revealed that feeding difficulties were predominantly present in children with Down syndrome. These difficulties were found in all the three phases of swallow and were greatest for solids followed by liquids. They also had issues with physical, functional and emotional aspects of feeding. Further, the children with Down syndrome exhibited poor orosensorimotor abilities which could have lead to the difficulties in feeding. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the importance of including feeding assessment in the evaluation protocol of infants and children with Down syndrome.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2019 · doi:10.1111/jir.12617