Occupational Therapist (OT) has been as one of the key members in Paediatric Aerodigestive Service Team in Kwong Wah Hospital since its establishment in the year 2015. Under care coordination by respiratory and gastrointestinal specialists, OT plays important roles in assessment & training of oral motor function, breathing coordination and developmental delay; providing advice on positioning method and proper use of feeding utensils to facilitate achievement of full oral feeding. Besides early intervention in neonatal intensive care unit and special care baby unit, OT supports home discharge by providing necessary carer education on feeding skills, compliant use of home respiratory support equipment; prescription and adaptation of positioning and mobility devices for infants/children with special needs. Home assessment and environmental adaptation always contributes to maintain sustainable home care and to relieve carer stress on handling babies/children with both respiratory and feeding dysfunctions or even more. OT continues to work closely with parents or caregivers during out-patient phase to remediate problems of weaning diet and behavioral feeding issues that would probably emerge when children with aerodigestive dysfunction are growing up. Behavioral intervention promotes love and attachment between parents and babies/children to handle feeding difficulties in different phases of child development, not only for fulfillment of their physiological need, but also guiding them to having healthy social development, independence in their self-care and self-regulation.
