Feeding Disorders in Food Allergic Children

Feeding disorders are increasingly being recognized in children with food allergy. For some children, symptoms of feeding dysfunction may persist after allergens are removed from the diet secondary to learned associations with food and discomfort and reinforcement of maladaptive feeding behaviors. Many food allergic children require care from a multidisciplinary team of specialists, which includes allergists, gastroenterologists, mental health professionals, and feeding specialists. Early referral for feeding assessment by a pediatric feeding specialist can be a critical component of the food allergic child’s care. This article reviews and discusses the recent literature regarding feeding disorders in food allergic children. A literature review was conducted using the PubMed database for English language articles published between January 1980 and February 2010. Additional information was obtained via review of recent textbooks and review of the general information web page of several established pediatric feeding programs.