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Feeding Problems in Children

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What is a feeding difficulty? A feeding difficulty is when a child is experiencing problems with aspects or all areas of eating and drinking.  Feeding difficulties can cause health complications, and place stress and strain on the family. When should I see someone or get a referral? Eating requires many important motor skills.  There are many signs that a child is struggling with feeding, here are a few indicators for referral... If your child shows any of the following: Difficulty with transition onto purees or solids Food refusal Food aversion especially to specific textures or nutritional  Restricted range of foods being eaten Anxiety around food and mealtimes Chocking, coughing or gagging during meals or with a  particular type of food/drink Difficulty chewing food  subgroup Who would I see: You should look for a team of professionals who work together to provide a holistic service for your child.  The team usually consists of Occupational Therapists,
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What are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor skills are a key part of development and play a role in performance of activities of daily living. They are the whole body movement skills using large muscle groups and movement patterns. Gross motor skills require core muscle groups and postural control so that everyday functional activities such as sitting upright, standing, walking and running can happen without a person falling over. Gross motor skills include hand-eye coordination. Gross motor skills support people to perform everyday tasks such as sitting at a table, eating food, brushing teeth, getting dressed, carrying their backpacks, playing with their friends and generally, participating in life, independently. For example, putting pants on requires a person to shift weight from one foot to another, bend down, use 2 hands to manipulate and pull the pants, balance on one foot, put one foot into the pants leg without falling over, stand up and do up the zip or buttons. That’s a lot of movement for one s
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What is Occupational Therapy?

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What is Occupational Therapy for children? Occupational therapists promote skill development and independence in all daily activities.  The ‘occupations’ of childhood may include playing at the local park, running, jumping, dressing, eating, toileting, playing, drawing, sitting still at school. OT’s are concerned with the development of skills and abilities: Abilities Attention and concentration Balance and postural reactions Muscle tone and strength Body awareness Fine Motor abilities (pinches and grasps, manipulative skills, pencil and scissor use, handwriting)   Gross motor abilities (running, jumping, climbing) Motor planning (ability to plan, initiate and execute a motor action) Visual Perception (shape recognition, visual memory) Visual motor integration (copying shapes, copying block designs) Sensory Integration (response to sensory stimuli, discrimination of sensory input) Behaviour (arousal level, attention, problem solving skill
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