The Intricate Swallow

“I never knew swallowing was so intricate until we started having trouble with swallowing!”

As an SLP specializing in feeding I hear this often! Eating and drinking are seemingly mindless tasks until someone starts having difficulty with them.

Eating food and drinking liquids are two things we count on to “just work”— as parents our babies rely on us to feed them, as adults we use eating and drinking as a main social activity to relate to others and our grandparents pass down recipes and family food to us from past generations.

But what if your baby needs a feeding tube, or your toddler needs thickener in their liquids in order to swallow, or you grandparent chokes every time they take a sip of liquids? This can change life quite a bit.

The great news- there is hope for those struggling with eating and drinking! Babies can wean from feeding tubes, toddlers can work towards drinking thin consistency liquids and children can learn how to chew and safely swallow a variety of textures!

As intricate as the swallow is, feeding therapy techniques paired with family participation can help our children (and grandparents) regain or repair their swallowing skills! Our kids are resilient beyond our knowledge and parents are more motivating then they’ll ever know! Both of these qualities paired with skilled feeding therapy help our kiddos meet their highest feeding potential!