Author: Schwartz SM et al.
Source: Pediatrics 2001, Vol 108: 671-676
This study followed the nutrition and health of 79 children with moderate to severe developmental disabilities who were referred for feeding or nutrition-related problems. The children?s average age was 5 years, and boys and girls were equally represented.
A nutrition evaluation including a 3-day calorie count (to see how much the children were eating before any intervention took place) was obtained and the children were tested for gastroesophageal reflux (GER). More than half of the children followed had GER and 18% had a feeding-related behavior (ex. food refusal, only eating certain textures etc).
Based on the initial findings, the children received different interventions, including gastrostomy tubes (a tube inserted in the stomach to provide nutrition), medications to help control GER, nutrition supplements (like Pediasure) and/or feeding therapy by a speech therapist. During the two years following the above interventions, the children?s weight, height, body fat and food intake all substantially improved, while the number of times they had to be hospitalized dropped.
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