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Asking parents/carers of young children with Down syndrome about specific eating behaviours and feeding practices could lead to more effective tailored support for feeding problems
  1. Sian Wood1,2,
  2. Judy Clegg1
  1. 1 Human Communication Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
  2. 2 Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Nottingham, UK
  1. Correspondence to Sian Wood, Human Communication Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; Sian.Wood{at}nottshc.nhs.uk

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Commentary on: Rogers SL, Smith B, Mengoni SE. Relationships between feeding problems, eating behaviours and parental feeding practices in children with Down syndrome: A cross‐sectional study. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2022;35(2):596–606.

Implications for practice and research

  • Healthcare professionals should establish the specific nature of eating and feeding behaviours to offer tailored support.

  • Understanding the mechanisms impacting on feeding problems and identifying those at greatest risk would facilitate earlier interventions.

Context

Children with Down syndrome (DS) are known to experience a higher prevalence of feeding problems. Anatomical and physiological differences result in varying degrees of neuromotor dysfunction that impact on eating, drinking and swallowing. Prior research has addressed the nature of feeding and swallowing difficulties in children with DS1 2 and begun to explore correlates of feeding problems, identifying parental feeding practices as a bi-directional influencing factor.3 This study …

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Footnotes

  • Twitter @SianWood_SLT

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.