Overview of Feeding and Growth in the Child with Cerebral Palsy

The goal of feeding children with cerebral palsy is to ensure optimal growth and development to maximize their potential, quality of life, comfort, happiness, and health. Just as the degree and type of cognitive, neurologic, muscular, and skeletal involvement varies widely in persons with cerebral palsy (CP), so does the range of issues potentially impacting a child’s ability to take in adequate nutrition to support growth. Generally, the more medically involved the child, the greater the risk for suboptimal nutritional status. Early identification of feeding and nutritional concerns as the child ages and as medical comorbidities develop, along with appropriate interventions by a multidisciplinary team of care providers, helps to mediate problems. The family and care providers, who manage daily provision of food and nutrition, are an equally important part of the feeding and nutrition team. In this chapter, we will review the natural history of CP related to feeding and growth, present the etiology and assessment of nutritional problems including challenges with food intake and gastrointestinal (GI) concerns, discuss growth assessment and evaluation, and summarize management and treatments to optimize feeding and growth in the child with CP.