Feeding Issues and Therapeutic Interventions in Infants with Cleft Palate

Successful ingestion of food is fundamental to a child's physical and mental development. Infants present a pattern of suck-swallow-respiration, synchronized by the neurological system [1]. Precise muscle coordination regarding time and space is necessary to facilitate swallowing. Depending on the severity of the dysfunction, both, syndromic and non-syndromic cleft lip/cleft palates (CL/CP) can lead to feeding and swallowing issues. This may result in malnutrition, disturbance of growth and chronic pulmonary disease. Stress and excessive demand during the feeding process might have a negative effect on the parent-infant bonding process [2]. This paper will provide an overview of the impact CL/CP with or without craniofacial syndromes may have on the infant's feeding process. Feeding interventions and techniques will be discussed and compared.