In the middle of the mealtime and you see your child coughing constantly or choking before or after swallowing. This can happen once but when you see this is happening regularly or frequently, this is an alarming sign. You should immediately consult the general physician or a specialist.
Children with swallowing difficulties suffer a condition, called Dysphagia. This is a condition that reflects difficulties in swallowing. This can affect children when food or liquids encounter obstacles while passing through their mouth, throat, esophagus, and into the stomach.
In this blog, we will learn more about this swallowing disorder, swallowing therapy, and the best speech therapy clinic in Dubai.
Let’s dive in
As A Parent You May Have The Question What Causes Swallowing Disorder?
If you see your child’s swallowing issues start out suddenly despite being healthy, your child may have something stuck in the esophagus. On the other hand, if your child has trouble swallowing and a fever, it may be due to an infection. Chronic swallowing problems are those that are caused by other health problems.
However, parents must keep in mind that there are certain factors that increase a child’s vulnerability to Dysphagia. It could be Premature birth, dental problems like an overbite, cleft lip or palate, enlarged tongue or tonsils, foreign objects lodged in the esophagus, compression of the esophagus due to anatomical obstructions, developmental delays, conditions impacting nerve and muscle function, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), tracheostomies (artificial throat openings for breathing), etc. Oral sensitivity or irritation of the vocal cords that can result from prolonged ventilator use, digestive tract abnormalities, vocal cord paralysis, can also pose risks for Dysphagia in children.
Now, How Do You Know Your Child Has A Swallowing Disorder?
The Signs and symptoms of dysphagia can manifest differently in each child. These indicators may include coughing or choking while eating or drinking, difficulty with sucking and swallowing, body arching or stiffness during feedings, recurrent spitting up or vomiting, excessive drooling, slow eating pace, chest congestion following ingestion, etc. The sensations of food or liquids sticking in the throat or esophagus, nasal discharge during or after meals, gagging during feeding, frequent respiratory infections, repetitive attempts to swallow a single mouthful, irritability or decreased alertness during feedings, etc can be a sign of swallowing or feeding disorder.
Do You Need To Seriously Concern About Dysphagia?
As mentioned earlier, children with dysphagia often have problems with eating or swallowing. This may result in poor nutrition and you may see your child is not gaining enough weight to grow.
For some children, Dysphagia brings long-term problems. If not treated, some children’s ability to swallow does not improve and they may also have other health problems, for example, nerve or muscle issues.
If you see this swallowing issue is persistent in your child, you need to be concerned about this condition.
What To Do If You Think Your Child Has A Swallowing Or Feeding Problem?
You should visit your child’s healthcare provider. He/she may ask about your child’s health history and do a physical exam. The doctor may also ask about how your child eats and what problems you have noticed during feedings. The doctor may ask your child for a blood test to detect if there’s an infection or may recommend visiting a feeding therapist or speech and language therapist.
Therefore, the next thing you need to do is to look for prestigious speech therapy clinics in Dubai. Why? Because speech therapists are trained experts who also help children with swallowing and feeding disorders.
They will carefully diagnose the swallowing symptoms and detect the root cause behind it. With a customized treatment approach, they will design tailored exercises that will help the child overcome the swallowing or feeding problem with time and enjoy their meals.
Bottom Line
We hope this blog has helped you a lot. If you want the right treatment for Dysphagia, don’t waste time but come straight to our speech therapy clinic in Dubai.
We have experts with years of experience in treating children with this condition. Book an appointment now!
