Pediatric Feeding Clinic

Pediatric Feeding Clinic

A feeding disorder can cause difficulties in eating and drinking that keep your child from obtaining proper nourishment. The Pediatric Feeding Clinic within Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital* provides comprehensive care and support for children with feeding disorders and their families.

The Pediatric Feeding Clinic Team

The Pediatric Feeding Clinic brings together a compassionate group of medical professionals representing a variety of areas of expertise, all focused on one goal: improving your child’s well-being and quality of life. You can expect a coordinated approach to treatment as you and your child move through an individualized plan of care. And because we know that these issues impact the entire family, we’ll also provide educational resources to help you better understand and cope with the complexities of care.

The Pediatric Feeding Clinic team includes:

• Lurie Children's specialists who are board-certified in pediatrics and gastroenterology
• Pediatric psychologists
• Registered dietitians
• Speech-language pathologists
• Occupational therapists
• Pediatric registered nurses

Referrals

In most instances, families are referred to the Pediatric Feeding Clinic by a pediatrician, pediatric gastroenterologist or other medical professional. Referrals are made for a wide variety of reasons, including:

• Developmental delays and/or disorders
• Difficulty or inability to chew or swallow
• Food/drink refusal
• Limited self-feeding skills
• Mealtime behavior challenges, such as prolonged tantrums or lengthy meals
• Picky eating and food selectivity, such as an aversion to a particular brand, color or texture
• Poor/slow weight gain
• Recurrent gagging or vomiting
• Related medical diagnosis and conditions
• Tube dependency, including nasogastric or gastrostomy tubes