An Occupational Therapy Protocol for Assessing Infants and Toddlers Who Fail to Thrive

Abstract

Children who "fail to thrive" are frequently referred to occupational therapists. Yet there is no organized protocol that therapists could use to assess these children. This paper reviews criteria that distinguish organic from nonorganic "failure to thrive" and describes the occupational therapist's contribution to the evaluation process. An occupational therapy protocol is presented to facilitate a thorough assessment, emphasizing feeding issues and caretaker-child interaction.

The Nature and Diversity of Problems Leading to Failure to Thrive

“…The proposed model for FlT can guide the therapist to a fuUer range of topics for assessment. Denton's (1986) suggested areas for assessments of Occup Ther Health Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Queen's University on 01/05/15 infants with FTT are updated with potential resources listed in Figure 2.…”

Infants and Children Who Fail to Thrive: Implications for Occupational Therapy Practice

“…Components of the occupational therapy developmental assessment provide the medical team with information regarding physical problems contributing to growth failure (i.e., delayed oral motor skills), as well as possible psychosocial factors (i.e., poor parent-child interaction) (Denton, 1986). Components of the occupational therapy developmental assessment provide the medical team with information regarding physical problems contributing to growth failure (i.e., delayed oral motor skills), as well as possible psychosocial factors (i.e., poor parent-child interaction) (Denton, 1986).…”

“…Denton (1986) differentiates be-Occup Ther Health Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Mcgill University on 02/03/15 Expectations and tasks appropriate for the child's stage of development must be considered.…”

“…The potential for developmental delay in children who fail to thrive emphasizes the importance of a thorough developmental evaluation (Chatoor et al, 1985;Woolston, 1985;Denton, 1986). Standardized and criterion-referenced evaluations provide information regarding the achievement of developmental milestones and skills in the motor, cognitive, social, and language areas.…”

“…Standardized and criterion-referenced evaluations provide information regarding the achievement of developmental milestones and skills in the motor, cognitive, social, and language areas. A developmental history obtained through parent interview may contribute additional information, especially in the case of an older child (Denton, 1986). The manner in which the child approaches toys or other objects in the environment and engages in play should also be observed during the assessment process.…”