Perspectives of parents/guardians of children with feeding/swallowing problems

Parents and guardians of children with disabilities and chronic illness travel a difficult road. This appears to be especially true of parents/guardians of children with feeding and swallowing problems. These parents/guardians experience concerns that influence their children's ability to access an appropriate education, as they often negatively affect their children's health, nutrition, and social-emotional experiences. The particular experiences and concerns that parents/guardians of children with feeding/swallowing problems face in managing these issues in home and school settings have not been investigated. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents/guardians of 8 children identified with feeding and/or swallowing disorders who ranged in age from 2 through 11 years. Research questions focused on descriptions of parent experiences related to their children's feeding/swallowing problems, interactions with professionals involved in intervention, and experiences with school-based management of feeding/swallowing problems. Results may lead to development of improved preparation and training of professionals responsible for providing special education and related services for children with disabilities affecting feeding/swallowing processes.