Mealtime interaction patterns between young children with cerebral palsy and their mothers: Characteristics and relationship to feeding impairment

Abstract

Background: A significant proportion of children with cerebral palsy have some degree of feeding impairment, which not only affects their ability to obtain adequate nourishment, but may also impinge on their ability to interact with their mothers during mealtimes. The quality of the maternal-child interaction may also be affected by the mealtime being prolonged and/or stressful. Patterns of interaction between mothers and their children with cerebral palsy have typically been described in play situations. There is limited information about interaction during mealtimes. The purpose of this study therefore, was to observe and describe the characteristics of mealtime interaction between mothers..