The Community-Based Feeding Team….pptVIP

The Community-Based Feeding Team… Improving the lives of children and families Comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluation of the feeding skills, including but not limited to oral motor development; nutritional status; growth and eating behaviors. Development of a family centered plan for community referrals and/or intervention Participating agencies may include: Children’s Therapy Centers Elks Therapist Hospital or Medical Clinic Infant-Toddler program Local Health Department Neurodevelopmental Center School-based Special Services WIC Program The first two community feeding teams were formed in a pilot training program sponsored by the Center on Human Development and Disability (CHDD) at the University of Washington and the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) in 1993. Why…A feeding team? a little background… Successful feeding goes hand in hand with developmental progress. Feeding supports physical development and good health… Well nourished infants and children grow well Well nourished infants and children experience less illness Feeding supports social development… It provides an important opportunity for babies and their parents or caregivers to bond to each other Meal time may be the only time of day when the family is together Feeding supports speech development… Eating involves movement patterns similar to those used in speech Good feeding programs develop the muscles needed for speech acquisition Successful feeding helps infants and children develop a sense of autonomy... Being able to feed or refuse food helps the child develop a sense of control over her environment These developmental tasks require a large repertoire of feeding skills… A newborn needs a strong reflexive suck to nurse successfully. Later, the baby must suppress the sucking reflex in order to develop the ability to use the tongue to take food from a spoon and move it in the mouth… from side to side for chewing from front to back for safe swallowing The baby must b