Clinical Investigation of Feeding Difficulties in Young Children: A Practical Approach

1 manuscript offers a practical guide to help the pediatrician screen for organic disease and provide constructive advice for the full range of children with feeding problems—namely, those with underlying pathology and the many others whose functional feeding difficulties range from mild to severe. In employing this approach, which is outlined in Figure 1, pediatricians are encouraged to pursue red flags implicating organic disease and identify behavioral and environmental factors that will help them to classify the specific type of feeding difficulty and tailor treatment to it. Because children often have more than 1 type of problematic feeding behavior evident, this guide for clinicians focuses on the behaviors that require attention rather than specific diagnoses.