Helping a person with cerebral palsy eat

Sometimes people with cerebral palsy have problems trying to eat. Problems may include:

• Coughing and choking, which can lead to breathing problems or pneumonia if food is inhaled into the lungs.
• Poor jaw control, making it difficult to chew.
• Difficulty sucking and swallowing.

You can help your child with cerebral palsy eat more easily by:

• Providing appropriate utensils, such as special plates and large-handled spoons.
• Serving oatmeal, pudding, mashed potatoes, and other semisolid foods.
• Placing the child in a secure sitting position for eating. Bring his or her arms toward his or her chest to prevent the child from getting into a position that will make feeding and swallowing more difficult (such as arching the back and throwing the head backward).
• Holding one hand against the child's cheek to help him or her open and close his or her mouth if jaw control is a problem.

Feeding tubes

A child with severe cerebral palsy may need a feeding tube in order to eat. If a feeding tube is needed for only a short period of time, it is inserted into the child's nose and passed into the stomach. For long-term tube feeding, a tube can be placed directly into the stomach through an opening in the abdomen (gastrostomy tube).

Recent research showed that introducing a feeding tube to a severely affected child improved the quality of life for both the child and family in more than 90% of those studied.¹

Citations

1. Smith SW, et al. (1999). Living with cerebral palsy and tube feeding: A population-based follow-up study. Journal of Pediatrics, 135: 307–10.