Feeding therapy in its simplest form teaches a child how to eat or eat better. The signs that a child may benefit from feeding therapy are the child may have difficulty maintaining or gaining weight appropriately for their age needed for healthy growth and development.
The goal of feeding therapy is to help patients develop normal, effective feeding patterns and behaviors.
Feeding Therapy
Feeding therapy in its simplest form teaches a child how to eat or eat better. The signs that a child may benefit from feeding therapy are the child may have difficulty maintaining or gaining weight appropriately for their age needed for healthy growth and development.
The goal of feeding therapy is to help patients develop normal, effective feeding patterns and behaviors.
My Unique Approach
The approach to feeding therapy is unique in this setting because of the continuous assessment that is used at every visit. Through communication and clinical observation, we will be able to assess exactly what the patient’s present level of functioning is and then use therapy tools & cues to facilitate where the child is at now – to where they need to be.
Benefits of Feeding Therapy
- Increasing the variety of solid foods accepted
- Increasing the volume of solid foods and/or liquids
- Increasing the variety of liquids accepted
- Increasing the texture of solid foods accepted
- Increasing their self-feeding skills
- Decreasing meal duration
- Decreasing disruptive mealtime behaviors (e.g., crying, screaming, hitting, spitting or throwing food)
Benefits of Feeding Therapy
- Increasing the variety of solid foods accepted
- Increasing the volume of solid foods and/or liquids
- Increasing the variety of liquids accepted
- Increasing the texture of solid foods accepted
- Increasing their self-feeding skills
- Decreasing meal duration
- Decreasing disruptive mealtime behaviors (e.g., crying, screaming, hitting, spitting or throwing food)
FAQs
When should a child be referred for feeding therapy?
- Difficulty chewing foods, typically swallowing food in whole pieces.
- Difficulty swallowing foods or refuses to swallow certain types of food consistencies.
- Refuses to eat certain food textures or has difficulty transitioning from one texture to another texture
- Fussy or irritable with feeding
- The child seems congestive during feedings or after
Why is feeding therapy important?
Feeding and swallowing disorders can increase a child’s risk of malnutrition, dehydration, poor growth/development and immunity, hospitalization, choking, prolonged caregiver dependence, exacerbation of oral aversion, and extremely limited acceptance of foods from all food groups. Additionally, children who cannot participate in shared meals with family and friends often report feeling isolated, stressed, and anxious and may have poor body image or self-esteem.
Is Feeding Therapy for Picky Eaters?
The term “picky eater” is a blanket term that we use to describe any child that basically has food preferences or maybe doesn’t like vegetables, but also includes kids that gag or even throw up at the sight of new food and only have 5 foods that they eat.
Feeding therapy is recommended for more extreme picky eaters that have a very limited diet and stress around trying new foods.
How long will it take?
Eating is a developmental process. When a child has difficulty eating, it means they have stalled in the midst of learning a new skill. Regardless of their age, the therapist will begin to teach the step by step process wherever they are having trouble (e.g. chewing) as a means to reaching the long term goal of independent, healthy eating.
Does every child follow the same therapy framework?
You may observe other kids in a feeding group or meet other parents who describe different techniques and strategies that your therapist uses with their child. That’s because every child is different and cookie-cutter approaches to therapy are best, well, when making cookies and that’s about it.
Reaching out is the first step toward change, go you!
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