Learning to swallow

CCPF volunteer feeding and swallowing therapist, Sharon Greis (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), was presented with a toddler who would no longer eat. She put the child in her arms and immediately connected with him. By playing with him, in a matter of minutes she got his attention and was able to assess his sensory capacity – even achieving a smile, which allowed Sharon to see inside his mouth, check his tongue and little teeth. She then put a dab of food on his lips to see if he would lick it, and he did! Before long, our little friend was eating from a spoon using his own hands and clearly had a good appetite.

This simple, playful technique worked brilliantly and could easily be emulated by the orphanage therapists, not only with this child, but with other children with similar physical and language challenges, which is most of the orphanage population in China. Beyond addressing the nutritional needs of this little tyke, Sharon was able to establish communication with a non-verbal child – something he clearly enjoyed.  To witness this happening was extremely emotional for all of us who were there – it made us realize that so many more non-verbal children in the orphanages could achieve the same.