Relationship between Oromotor and Feeding Skills in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Feeding and oro-motor deficits are often associated with children with cerebral palsy, but most of the studies do not depict the relationship between feeding and oro-motor problems objectively. Aim: To investigate the feeding and oro-motor skills and to assess the relationship between two in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Method: To assess the feeding and oro-motor skills, the physical domain of Feeding Handicap Index (FHI) (Srushti, 2014) and the Com-DEALL oro-motor assessment checklist (Archana, 2008) respectively were administered on 60 children with CP in the age range of 2-10 years. Results: The results indicated feeding and oro-motor problems in children with cerebral palsy. There was a strong correlation between physical domain of FHI and the oro-motor scores obtained on the Com-DEALL checklist. Further, the correlation was much stronger for the dyskinetic, rather than the other types of CP. It was also seen that the feeding issues were greatest in quadriplegics. Discussion: The findings of the present study revealed that feeding and oro-motor problems were quite common in children with CP. These findings were in consensus with several studies reported in the literature. The findings also indicate the possibility of a causal relationship between the two. Conclusion: It can be concluded that children with CP do have oro-motor and feeding deficits and there is a relationship between the two. However future studies have to explore the relationship between feeding and oro-motor skills in depth. These findings have implications for intervention of feeding problems.