FEED THE BRAIN
吃
Pediatric
Feeding Disorder
小兒餵食障礙
Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD), defined as impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate, and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction. Feeding is more than eating — it begins with the brain and early reflexes. Swallowing, sucking, and chewing are reflexive movements that lay the foundation for safe and efficient oral intake.
At HKOMR, our speech therapists combine feeding therapy with reflex and sensory integration to help children build the skills they need for eating, swallowing, and nutrition. When reflexes and sensory systems are not fully developed, children may continue to struggle with mealtime challenges — from gagging and food refusal to poor weight gain — even as they grow older. Early therapy supports the brain’s pathways, making feeding safer, smoother, and less stressful for families.
小兒餵食障礙定義為經口腔攝取的數量與年齡不相符，成因與醫學、營養、餵食技能和/或社交心理功能障礙有關。餵食不只是進食，而是由大腦與早期反射開始。吞嚥、吸吮及咀嚼等反射性動作，為安全有效的進食打下基礎。
我們的言語治療師結合餵食治療、神經反射整合及感覺統合，幫助孩子建立進食、吞嚥及營養所需的核心技能。若神經反射與感覺系統未能充分發展，孩子在成長過程中仍可能持續面對進食困難，包括嘔吐、拒食，甚至體重不足。及早透過治療支援大腦，可讓進食更安全順暢，並減輕家庭用餐的壓力。
From Reflex Integration to Sensory and Oral Feeding Development
由神經反射整合至感覺統合與口腔進食發展
Every child’s brain development begins with reflexes.
Reflexes such as sucking, swallowing and rooting are automatic movements present at birth that guide early survival. When these reflexes are unintegrated, they can interfere chewing, swallowing, and mealtime success.
At HKOMR, our speech therapists use reflex integration techniques to help the brain organise early feeding patterns patterns. This allows higher level systems such as sensory integration — how the brain processes taste, texture, smell, and touch inside the mouth — to work more efficiently.
When reflexes and sensory pathways are well integrated, children feel safer with food, accept a wider variety of textures, and develop a strong foundation for confident, stress-free eating.
孩子的大腦發展由神經反射開始。
神經反射(包括：吸吮、吞嚥及覓食反射)是嬰兒出生時的自動動作，幫助他們生存。但當這些神經反射並未整合，便會影響孩子的咀嚼、吞嚥及日常進餐。
我們的言語治療師將運用神經反射整合協助大腦統合這些早期餵食模式。這樣能提升高層次系統的效能，包括：感覺統合，大腦明白如何處理味道、質地、氣味及口腔觸覺。
當神經反射與感覺處理系統得到良好整合，孩子會對食物感到更安全，更願意接受不同質地，並在進食時建立自信，減少家庭用餐壓力。
Register our consultation or assessment and complete a standardised questionnaire.
請即登記我們的評估/諮詢服務及填寫標準化問卷。
Common PFD Symptoms
小兒餵食障礙症狀
Stiffen or cry when feeding
餵食時身體變僵硬或哭泣
Fall asleep when feeding
餵食時睡著
Unable to gain weight
無法增加體重
Problems in breastfeeding
餵食母乳困難
Trouble breathing when eating
進食時出現呼吸困難
Refuse to eat or drink
抗拒進食或進飲
Eat only certain textures
只願進食某些質感的食物
Take a long time to eat
進食時間過長
Pocket food in mouth
口腔內積滿食物
Problems in chewing food
咬合食物困難
Cough or gag during meals
進食時咳嗽或作嘔
Fail to proceed to solid food
加固困難
Adopted from:
(Goday, P. S., Huh, S. Y., Silverman, A., Lukens, C. T., Dodrill, P., Cohen, S. S., ... & Phalen, J. A. (2019). Pediatric feeding disorder: consensus definition and conceptual framework. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 68(1), 124.)
Liquids running out from mouth or nose
從嘴或鼻流出流質食物
Drooling
流涎
Have a gurgly voice during or after meals
進食時或後聲音變沙啞
Spit up food
吐出食物
Diagnostic Criteria of PFD
小兒餵食障礙的診斷標準
A disturbance in oral intake of nutrients, inappropriate for age, lasting at least 2 weeks and associated with 1 or more of the following domains.
由於以下其中或多於一個的範疇，而影響幼童未能從口進食合乎年齡的食物，並持續至少兩星期。
Psychosocial dysfunction 社交心理功能障礙 a. Avoidance behaviors by child during feeding 幼兒在餵食時出現迴避行為 b. Inappropriate caregiver management of child's feeding and/or nutrition needs 照顧者未能有效地處理幼兒的餵食過程及營養需求 c. Disruption of social functioning within a feeding context 因餵食而引致社交功能障礙 d. Disruption of caregiver-child relationship associated with feeding 因餵食而破壞照顧者與幼童的關係
Nutritional dysfunction 營養功能障礙 a. Malnutrition 營養不良 b. Specific nutrient deficiency resulting from decreased dietary diversity 飲食多樣性減少而導致的營養缺乏 c. Reliance on tube feeding or oral supplements to sustain nutrition and/or hydration 依靠導管餵食或口服補充劑來維持營養和水份
Medical dysfunction 醫療功能障礙 a. Cardiorespiratory compromise during oral feeding 心肺功能障礙 b. Aspiration or recurrent aspiration pneumonitis 吸入性肺炎 c. Reliance on tube feeding or oral supplements to sustain nutrition and/or hydration 依靠導管餵食或口服補充劑來維持營養和水份
Feeding dysfunction 餵食功能障礙 a. Need for texture modification of liquid or food 需要改變食物或飲品質地 b. Use of modified feeding position or equipment 需要改變餵食姿勢或使用特定儀器 c. Use of modified feeding strategies 需要改變餵食方法
Register our consultation or assessment and complete a standardised questionnaire.
請即登記我們的諮詢/評估服務及填寫標準化問卷。
Our Specialized Feeding Program
Feed the Brain 吃
Feeding Therapy - Targeted to improve: PFD, picky eating, drooling, difficulty in imitating mouth shapes, oral defensive, lack of self-feeding skills, swallowing difficulty
餵食治療針對改善嬰幼兒：餵食障礙、嚴重挑食、流涎、學習模仿口型困難、口腔防禦、缺乏自我進食能力、吞嚥困難
BRAIN/COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
大腦/認知發展
Nutrition is of vital importance for brain development. A wide range of nutrients enables kids to acquire psychomotor, language, socio-emotional skills, and cognitive functions such as attention and learning.
腦部發育的關鍵是攝取營養。透過攝取廣泛及多樣的營養素， 幼童才得以發展心智、語言、社交情緒技能和認知功能，例如專注和學習。
ORAL SENSORY
INTEGRATION and AWARENESS
口腔感覺統合和意識
We need oral sensory information to understand the state and structure of our mouth itself, and objects in the mouth. Children who suffer from oral defensiveness may avoid brushing teeth, wiping lips or become extremely picky eater while some children may not be aware of saliva pooling inside mouth or may always try to mouth objects. For both situations, children are unable to perceive and integrate oral sensory information properly. Hence, feeding, speech and language problems may arise.
我們需要透過口腔信息以了解我們平常及即時的口腔狀態。患有口腔感官防禦症的孩子可能會避免刷牙、擦嘴唇或者變得非常挑食，或有孩子沒有意識到唾液在嘴裡積聚流口水，或者有些孩子總是用嘴咬／吸吮／含住不同物件／食物。在這些情況下，孩子往往無法感知並正確整合口腔信息，餵食，言語和語言都可能因此出現問題。
MUSCLE COORDINATION
肌肉協調
During mealtime, kids learn how to coordinate their muscles to perform various oral motor tasks which involve:
Respiratory muscles: swallowing, breathing, laughing, talking
Masticatory muscles: chewing, manipulating food, chewing, sucking, swallowing, talking, breathing, laughing etc.
嬰幼兒在進餐時學習協調不同肌肉來進行口腔運動，包括：
呼吸肌：吞嚥、呼吸、笑、說話
咀嚼肌：咀嚼、處理食物、吸吮, 吞嚥, 說話、呼吸、大笑等。
SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
社交技能發展
Eating is one of the most important social tasks in everyday life. Children with PFD and their family always find mealtime stressful and it develops tension in their relationship.
共同進餐是我們其中一個最重要的社交活動。患有 PFD 的兒童和他們的家人總在共同進餐時感到壓力，往往導致他們的關係變得緊張。
FAQ
01
What does the 120-minute feeding assessment involve?
我們的120分鐘餵食及吞嚥評估包括甚麼？
At HKOMR, every swallowing and feeding assessment (except for infants) takes place in our child-friendly kitchen. Over 120 minutes, we assess oral motor functions, postural control, sensory responses and feeding skills in a sensory enriched environment. This detailed process helps us design a personalised treatment plan that fits your child’s needs.
我們的註冊言語治療師將在我們的廚房內進行餵食及吞嚥評估。整個過程長達 120 分鐘，讓我們能在感官豐富的情況下，評估口腔肌肉功能、姿勢控制、感覺反應及餵食技能。這詳盡的分析有助我們為孩子設計個人化的治療計劃。
02
Why is reflex integration important for feeding development?
為什麼神經反射整合對餵食發展很重要？
Feeding begins with reflexes such as sucking, swallowing, and rooting. If these reflexes remain unintegrated, children may struggle with chewing, accepting textures, or safe swallowing. Reflex integration helps the brain organise these patterns, creating a stable foundation for stress-free eating. Our speech therapists will incorporate MNRI® techniques in the session to help the brain organize these reflexes, creating a stronger foundation for feeding development.
餵食是由吸吮、吞嚥及覓食等神經反射開始。若這些反射未能有效整合，孩子可能在咀嚼、接受不同質地或安全吞嚥方面遇到困難。透過神經反射整合，我們能協助大腦統合這些模式，為孩子建立自信及無壓力的進食基礎。我們的言語治療師將給合MNRI®神經反射整合治療，協助大腦整理神經反射系統，為孩子建立更穩固的基礎，以促進餵食發展。
03
Why are our speech therapists involved in feeding therapy?
為什麼我們的言語治療師會參與餵食治療？
Feeding and swallowing are not only about nutrition. They involve complex oral motor movements and reflexes controlled by the brain. Speech therapists are specially trained to assess and treat oral motor skills, swallowing safety, and mealtime communication. At HKOMR, we combine this expertise with reflex and sensory integration to address the root of feeding difficulties.
餵食與吞嚥不僅關乎營養，還涉及由大腦控制的複雜口腔動作及反射。我們的言語治療師具備專業訓練，可全面評估及治療口腔運動能力、吞嚥安全及用餐互動。我們更會結合感覺統合及神經反射整合，從根源改善餵食困難。
04
If my child is currently using tube feeding, are we still suitable for the feeding assessment?
如果我的孩子現時正使用鼻胃喉管進食，是否仍然可以參加餵食評估嗎？
Yes. Our feeding assessment is not limited to children who eat by mouth. For children using tube feeding, our speech therapists assess oral reflexes, swallowing readiness, and sensory motor coordination to determine when and how safe oral feeding can begin. Even if a child cannot yet eat orally, early intervention helps strengthen oral muscles, prevent oral aversion, and build the brain pathways required for future feeding and speech development.
可以的。我們的餵食評估並不限於從口進食的孩子。對於正使用鼻胃喉管進食的個案，我們的言語治療師會評估口腔反射、吞嚥能力及感官動作協調，以判斷何時及如何安全地開始進入口腔進食。即使孩子暫時未能經口進食，及早介入可強化口腔肌肉、預防進食抗拒，並為日後的餵食及語言發展建立大腦基礎。
05
Is Feed the Brain, feeding therapy, available in the kitchen too?
餵食治療會在廚房內進行嗎？
Yes. While the assessment is always done in our kitchen, treatment can be carried out either in the treatment room or in the kitchen, depending on the child’s needs. Kitchen-based treatment will involve additional cost, but it provides real-life practice for children who need to transfer skills into daily mealtime routines.
是的。雖然評估一律在廚房進行，但治療可於治療室或廚房進行，視乎孩子的需要而定。若在廚房進行治療，將需要額外費用，但能為孩子提供更真實的日常用餐練習。
06
How long does it take to see changes?
需要多久才會見到改善？
Every child is unique. Some show small improvements within weeks, while others need longer for steady progress. Since speech therapy at HKOMR works at the brain-based level, changes are designed to be lasting and support overall communication and learning.
每個孩子的情況都不同。有些孩子可能在數星期內已有小改善，而其他孩子則需要較長時間才會見到持續進步。由於我們的言語治療是以大腦為基礎，因此改善通常更持久，並有助於整體學習與溝通。