Welcome to Pediatricfeedingnews.com! This blog is dedicated to providing the most up to date and current information related to pediatric feeding and swallowing problems. My name is Krisi Brackett MS, SLP-CCC, C/NDT and I am a speech pathologist who has specialized in pediatric feeding for 29 years. I published The Pediatric Feeding & Dysphagia Newsletter for 10 years (before blogs existed) which was a paper newsletter (I printed and mailed) dedicated to providing up to date information to professionals around the world which evolved into this blog around 2013. I am a working clinician treating children with feeding problems every day.
We know that pediatric feeding problems are common – research says about 80% of kids with developmental disabilities and about 20-40% of typically developing kids will be identified with a feeding/swallowing problem. These problems are complicated, often multifactorial, and can be difficult to treat involving many different professionals. All of this adds up to high stress for the caregivers and families of these children. For professionals to stay current in this field, you need to follow current information from many sources including the fields of medicine, nutrition, oral motor and swallowing intervention, behavioral reinforcement, sensory processing, motor development and positioning.
A little about Me
I did my original training with an intensive feeding program where I first learned to use a medical/motor/behavior approach to help improve feeding problems. Over three decades of practice, this has evolved into interdisciplinary intervention using therapeutic strategies from across philosophies and disciplines resulting in individualized treatment for each child and family. I have been involved in feeding on many levels including:
- Providing evaluation, treatment, and objective swallowing studies for 29 years. I have worked in hospitals, early intervention, and private practice.
- Founding member of the UNC Feeding Team.
- Participation on several ASHA committees regarding pediatric feeding issues including SIG 13.
- Participation with current feeding research.
- Teaching as an adjunct instructor for a graduate level pediatric feeding and dysphagia class at UNC- Chapel Hill, Yeshiva University, and soon UNC-Greensboro.
- Teaching workshops on using a medical/motor/therapeutic approach (for http://motivationsceu.com and privately) across the country.
- Supervising master’s level student clinicians and providing specialty training for professionals
- Pediatric NDT certified.
- Co-authored first chapter in Pediatric Feeding Disorders: Evaluation and Treatment, 2013, Therapro &
- Co-authored nutrition chapter in 3rd edition of The Source for Pediatric Dysphagia, Pro-Ed (anticipated publication Fall 2023).
Currently, I work at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, NC where I am a founding member of our pediatric feeding team providing pediatric out-patient feeding evaluation and treatment. I also work in pediatric acute care and perform objective swallowing studies. Our philosophy is based on a medical, motor and therapeutic approach and I will post about our experiences in using this type of treatment with this challenging population. I feel so lucky to work on a feeding team with physicians, nurse practitioners, and dieticians. However, I have also treated children through early intervention and privately in their homes so I know how beneficial in home therapy can be.
I am currently a doctoral student in Communication Science Disorders at UNC-Greensboro with a goal of research, scholarship, and further study of children and their caregivers with feeding difficulty. I am interested in aberrant (hypersensitive gagging) and the medical and nutritional side of feeding disorders.
We know there isn’t just one way to treat a child with a feeding problem. I hope this blog provides a hub of information from a variety of disciplines and to continue learning about this fascinating specialty area. Fashioned after my newsletter, we will feature general information, interviews, guest posts, research reviews, treatment ideas, case studies, product recommendations, book reviews, and workshop/training information.
I welcome comments, questions, and requests. Please email me at feedingnewsletter@gmail.com.
Thank you, Krisi