Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, Leader In Pediatric Feeding Disorders, Unveils Significant Findings On Feeding Disorders
BALTIMORE, Nov. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In the United States, between 20 - 50 percent of all children who have developed normally have some sort of pediatric feeding issues, and those statistics are significantly higher in children who have some form of a developmental disability, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital (MWPH), a leader in the care and treatment of pediatric patients with feeding disorders, recently held its inaugural conference on the disorder to help draw together professionals, industry leaders and organizations who work with children suffering from the condition.
Critical outcomes from the inaugural conference include:
- Feeding disorders are still highly misdiagnosed, and children can go for long periods of time without the diagnosis and care they need.
- Feeding disorders have a profound psychological impact on families due to the reshaping of normal eating standards and traditions within the family.
- There is a significant increase in the number of identified symptoms that result in a feeding disorder.
- Interdisciplinary teams are imperative when working with children with feeding disorders.
- Due to the greater availability of foods, more and more children are being exposed to food allergens than ever before.
The conference culminated with three mothers, Bethany Dame, Erin Mandras and Jill Pelovitz, who have children with feeding disorders. Each child had very different issues that led to their disorders. The empowered moms shared with the attendees the difficult journey of raising a child with a feeding disorder including, societal perspectives and pressures, discrimination and frustration with the current health system. They spoke of the underlying issues and lack of awareness, which leads to many parents and children working to navigate the maze of issues and solutions on their own.
"I think what we've seen at this conference is an indication of where healthcare needs to go as a whole," said Richard Katz, M.D., MBA, FAAP, the Chief Medical Officer and VP of Medical Affairs of MWPH and the conference's Founder. "It's imperative that multiple disciplines come together to develop integrative strategies that utilize collaboration across the field of all provider types, as well as ownership from parents."
To learn more about Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital's Strategies for Treating Pediatric Feeding Disorders Conference visit: http://www.mwphfeedingconference.org/.
To learn more about Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital: http://www.mwph.org/.
Contact: Chris Bogus, 443-201-7037, [email protected]
SOURCE Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital
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