Evaluation and management of neonatal dysphagia: impact of pharyngoesophageal motility studies and multidisciplinary feeding strategy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Abnormal swallowing (dysphagia) among neonates is commonly evaluated using the videofluoroscopic swallow study (VSS). Radiological findings considered high risk for administration of oral feeding include nasopharyngeal reflux, laryngeal penetration, aspiration, or pooling. Our aims were to determine pharyngoesophageal motility correlates in neonates with dysphagia and the impact of multidisciplinary feeding strategy. METHODS: Twenty dysphagic neonates (mean gestation +/- standard deviation [SD] = 30.9 +/- 4.9 weeks; median 31.1 weeks; range = 23.7-38.6 weeks) with abnormal VSS results were evaluated at 49.9 +/- 16.5 weeks (median 41.36 weeks) postmenstrual age. The subjects underwent a swallow-integrated pharyngoesophageal motility assessment of basal and adaptive swallowing reflexes using a micromanometry catheter and pneumohydraulic water perfusion system. Based on observations during the motility study, multidisciplinary feeding strategies were applied and included postural adaptation, sensory modification, hunger manipulation, and operant conditioning methods. To discriminate pharyngoesophageal manometry correlates between oral feeders and tube feeders, data were stratified based on the primary feeding method at discharge, oral feeding versus tube feeding. RESULTS: At discharge, 15 of 20 dysphagic neonates achieved oral feeding success, and the rest required chronic tube feeding. Pharyngoesophageal manometry correlates were significantly different (P < 0.05) between the primary oral feeders versus the chronic tube feeders for swallow frequency, swallow propagation, presence of adaptive peristaltic reflexes, oral feeding challenge test results, and upper esophageal sphincter tone. VSS results or disease characteristics had little effect on the feeding outcomes (P = NS). CONCLUSIONS: Swallow-integrated esophageal motility studies permit prolonged evaluation of swallowing reflexes and responses to stimuli under controlled conditions at cribside. The dysfunctional neuromotor mechanisms may be responsible for neonatal dysphagia or its consequences. Manometry may be a better predictor than VSS in identifying patients who are likely to succeed in vigorous intervention programs.

Development and validation of an inventory to assess mealtime behavior problems in children with autism.

To date, no standardized measures have been developed to evaluate the mealtime behavior of children with autism. The Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI) was designed to measure mealtime behavior problems observed in children with autism. Caregivers of 40 typically developing children and 68 children with autism completed the BAMBI, the Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS), the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS), the Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire (YAQ), and a 24-hour recall interview. The BAMBI demonstrated good internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, a clear factor structure, and strong construct and criterion-related validity in the measurement of mealtime behavior problems in children with autism.

Behavioral treatments for pediatric feeding disorders.

The effectiveness of behavioral interventions for pediatric feedings problems has been well documented. However, the application of these procedures in the real world is often more complex and difficult than research reports reveal. Multiple factors such as the child's medical condition and history, medical monitoring requirements, and the need to adjust treatment procedures as intervention progresses make it difficult to follow the best-laid plans developed from reading structured and highly controlled experimental applications. This article details factors to be considered in the actual clinical-based application of behavioral procedures in the treatment of pediatric feeding problems. A description of how referrals are generated and initial assessment is conducted, and a model for inpatient treatment is presented. In addition, the need for efficient and effective treatment in the real world is stressed.

Children's nutritional judgments: relation to eating attitudes and body image.

To determine if middle school students use simplified cognitive heuristics with regard to nutritional judgments, a sample of 136 sixth and seventh grade students responded to a series of questions about nutrition, eating attitudes, and body image. Evidence for simplified strategies was obtained. Approximately 50% of the students showed dose insensitivity (i.e., something harmful in large amounts should be avoided in small amounts) and categorical thinking (i.e., foods are either good or bad). Further, 16% of participants selected a fat-free diet as the healthiest. Higher scores on the measure of disordered eating attitudes (Maloney, McGuire, & Daniels, 1988) were associated with stronger endorsement of dose insensitivity and low- or fat-free diets. No relation between body image dissatisfaction and nutritional judgments was found. Educators continue to need to better understand what leads individuals to adopt the cognitive heuristics of dose insensitivity and categorical thinking that can lead to inaccurate nutritional judgments and to address these mistakes in nutritional information programs. Researchers also need to determine if these judgments are reflected in actual dietary behaviors.

Training in pediatric psychology: a survey of predoctoral internship programs.

OBJECTIVE: To describe internship training in pediatric psychology and to determine its correspondence with the recommendations of the Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP) Task Force on Training. METHODS: A survey based on the Task Force recommendations was sent to all internship programs that reported offering a major rotation in pediatrics. RESULTS: Opportunities in a wide range of assessment and intervention strategies were available. Training in disease process, medical management, and consultation/liaison with a variety of disciplines was also offered. Interns interacted with individuals from a range of developmental stages and ethnicities. Many professional issues were addressed. Experiences in research methods and prevention were less well represented. CONCLUSIONS: Despite some variability, experiences in a wide range of areas were offered by many programs in several of the training domains recommended by the SPP Task Force. However, there is room for improvement in training in research and prevention and health promotion.

Multiple factors in the long-term effectiveness of contingent electric shock treatment for self-injurious behavior: a case example.

This report describes the effective treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB) using contingent electric shock in an adolescent. Data are presented to document the initial dramatic reduction in SIB and the ongoing effectiveness of the treatment over a 5-year period. Positive side effects of the intervention are documented, as is information on the interaction of a medical condition (e.g., ear infections, fever), psychoactive medication status, and staff changes that served to effect the rate of SIB across 4 years of treatment. Recognizing and attending to these various factors has served to insure the success of the aversive intervention with very low rates of SIB and, consequently, very low rates of the administration of electric shock. Keeping the rate of administration of shock low serves to decrease the chances of habituation to the shock thereby emphasizing the importance of attending to the individual's total medical, social, and administrative environments.