The Feeding and Swallowing Program at Boston Children’s Hospital specializes in helping infants and children who have difficulty eating and drinking. The medical term for this is oropharyngeal dysphagia.
Feeding is the most complex task an infant must do on a daily basis. Some infants have difficulty learning this process. The Feeding and Swallowing Program team works with a diverse range of patients with a wide variety of diagnoses to evaluate, diagnose, and treat feeding and swallowing disorders.
Safe, efficient feeding and swallowing skills are important to allow children to meet their nutritional requirements as they grow. Eating with family and friends is also an important social activity.
What sets us apart?
The speech-language pathologists in the Feeding and Swallowing Program are licensed speech-language pathologists (CCC-SLP). They are highly trained and experienced in managing children with feeding and swallowing difficulties, and apply the principles of evidence-based practice to their work. The Feeding and Swallowing Program team strongly believes in the principles of family-centered care, and team members pride themselves in providing individualized, culturally sensitive, innovative intervention. Interpreters are available for non-English speaking patients and families. Several speech-language pathologists hold additional certifications as certified lactation counselors and board-certified swallowing specialists.
Members of our team regularly present at national and international scientific conferences, are active in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), are part-time faculty at surrounding universities, have numerous publications, and are engaged in clinical research.
Boston Children’s Hospital’s Declaration on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity
Boston Children’s is dedicated to creating a culture where all patients, families, clinicians, researchers, staff, and communities feel empowered and supported. We are committed to working together to support health equity and promote anti-racist practices. This is not merely an aspirational goal, and in August 2020, we shared our formal Declaration on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity that will be our guiding compass in making this goal a reality.
We recognize that diversity and cultural competency efforts are complex and require dedicated time, attention, and resources. We have major commitments on all fronts:
- enhancing access to the best health care
- promoting and cultivating a diverse workforce
- instilling a welcoming environment for all
- bolstering respect for cultural differences in the delivery of care
- reducing differences in health outcomes among different racial and ethnic groups
- advancing our community outreach
- developing further student and residency outreach
We will continue to evolve to ensure we provide a welcoming, inclusive environment for all staff and families. Our diversity makes us stronger.
