"Tan and Crunchy Is Where We Live": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Caregivers' Perspectives of Pediatric Feeding Disorder in Children With Developmental Disability

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine caregivers' perceptions of feeding disorders in their young child who also had a co-occurring developmental disability (DD).

METHOD

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, eight caregivers of children with DD and pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) were interviewed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for the lived experiences of caregivers. Thematic analysis, member checking, and an audit were completed by three researchers.

RESULTS

Three themes emerged: Parenting Journey, Emotions and Repercussions, and Winging It. Results indicated caregivers struggled to find appropriate professional help, referenced lack of confidence in the professionals designated to help, and were often ambivalent in approach to the PFD. Indications were that parents were frequently retelling past experiences as they presented the narrative of the feeding disorder and, as such, created narratives that became part of their present and the future experiences when feeding their child.

CONCLUSIONS

Implications for speech-language pathologists are considered. Particularly, interventions that go beyond the immediate environmental variables of the feeding or mealtime environment are considered, including the application of this analysis to necessary psychological flexibility for caregivers of children with PFD.

The Impact of Feeding on the Parent and Family Scales (Feeding Impact Scales): Development and Psychometric Testing

Background and Purpose:

Families of children with feeding disorder face significant challenges in supporting their child’s feeding, growth, and development. The Feeding Impact Scales were developed to assess how child feeding impacts parent and family.

Methods:

Items were adapted from an existing scale. Parents of children with feeding difficulty completed the online survey. Item response theory (IRT) analyses were used to evaluate and reduce items. Internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and readability were tested.

Results:

IRT analyses (n = 317) identified 12 items for the Parent Impact and 13 items for the Family Impact. Internal reliability for the scales were acceptable. Convergent validity was supported.

Conclusions:

The Feeding Impact Scales have evidence of reliability and validity. They can be utilized in practice and research.