Our feeding therapists support your child’s interaction with foods to foster a positive mealtime experience for the whole family and expand your child’s food repertoire, at their own pace, using a responsive feeding approach. Our therapists use a variety of feeding therapy approaches to create mealtime goals, including aspects of the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding, the Get Permission Approach, and the Beckman Oral Motor Protocol. With your family's priorities in mind, our feeding therapists will work collaboratively with you and your child to help you achieve your goals.
Our therapists have experience and knowledge working with children with a variety of feeding challenges, including:
Delayed oral motor skills, including difficulty chewing, drinking, and/or swallowing
Difficulty transitioning between milestones (e.g. breast/bottle to purees, purees to solids, etc.)
Picky eaters
Stressful mealtimes
Extended mealtimes
Decreased comfortability exploring/trying new foods
How do I know if my child needs a feeding therapy evaluation?
A feeding therapy evaluation may be beneficial if your child:
Demonstrates aversions to specific food groups, textures, or temperatures
Consumes 15 foods or less
Gags, chokes, coughs, or vomits during mealtimes
Demonstrates ongoing poor weight gain or weight loss
Has a history of nasal or gastric reflux
Has a history of a traumatic choking incident
Has difficulty transitioning to age-appropriate foods (bottle to purees, purees to solids)
Is an infant who cries and/or arches at most meals
Demonstrates difficulty eating in a variety of environments (i.e., restaurants, school, playdates, etc.)
Has certain food "rules" (e.g., eats 1 specific pretzel brand, will eat yogurt only from a pouch but not if it is poured from the pouch into a bowl, etc.)
Becomes dysregulated during/around mealtimes
If you are interested in learning more about our feeding therapy services or to set up your first appointment, please contact us at (773) 332-9439 or fill out our contact us form.
