If you have concerns about your child’s feeding, please know that you are not alone. PFD is a multidisciplinary diagnosis that includes feeding dysfunction in any one or several of the four domains, medical, nutrition, feeding skill, or psychosocial.
Pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) is “impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction” (Goday et al., 2019).
PFD also may be applied to children with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), as ARFID may be considered PFD when psychosocial and/or nutritional dysfunction is present in the absence of skill and/or medical dysfunction. Early detection and treatment of PFD is critical to the long-term health and well-being of affected children.
Learn more about navigating the overlap between PFD and ARFID here
PFD Resources
PFD Fact Sheet
PFD is complex. Learn the facts about pediatric feeding disorder here (click to download).
Assessment and Management Pathway
View tools here for determining diagnosis and needs for children with feeding difficulty (click to download).
PFD: The Four Domains at Work
PFD consists of the medical, nutrition, feeding skill, and psychosocial domains. Learn how the four domains impact PFD here (click to download).
Family Guide to Pediatric Feeding Disorder
This guide will educate families on PFD, direct them to the next steps to take, and offer helpful tips on how to advocate for their child. View the guide here (click to download).
Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire© 6-Question Screener
The ICFQ© 6-question screener is a quick 6-question screening tool that identifies and differentiates between children who are struggling with feeding from those who have age appropriate eating. Use, share, and educate others on the signs of PFD; the first step in treating PFD is identification.
Learn the Signs. Act Early.
Milestones matter! CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” program encourages parents and providers to learn the signs of healthy development, monitor every child’s early development, and take action when there is a concern. The program offers free checklists and other tools to make developmental monitoring practical and easy. Explore the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” site to learn more about developmental milestones.
Take the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire©
The Feeding Matters Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire© is an evidence-based tool which may be used to promote early identification of pediatric feeding disorder and provides a method for referral of at-risk infants and children to appropriate care. This questionnaire has been developed by internationally-recognized feeding experts to help you better understand your child’s feeding habits. By completing this questionnaire you will learn about typical feeding development, identify if there are any areas of concern regarding your child’s feeding, and be provided a method for discussing any concerns with your child’s physician.