Feeding Programs

We have speech therapists and occupational therapists who work with infants and toddlers with feeding difficulties. We address breastfeeding difficulties, tube to oral feeding skills, sensory feeding difficulties, and global feeding difficulties secondary to oral motor weakness.

Breastfeeding:

• Work with mother on effective positioning for breastfeeding
• Teach oral motor strategies to implement prior to and during feeding to promote nutritive suck.
• Understanding of child’s arousal state for effective feedings.
• Parent education

Tube to Oral Feeding:

• Oral motor intervention helps strengthen muscles for eating and drinking.
• Sensory stimulation arouses oral musculature  prior to feeding
• Consultation with GI specialists helps children move forward with feeding and textures on an individualized basis
• Feeding progresses with textures and tastes based on individual child’s needs
• Establish a hierarchy of oral motor and feeding skills

Sensory Feeding:

• Decreases tactile defensiveness orally and globally
• Decreases defensiveness for touching and tasting foods
• Moves through the hierarchy of feeding, helping child to work at his/her individual level
• Education of parents about behavioral feeding issues

Group Feeding Programs:

• Combine oral motor and sensory strategies based on need of child.
• Uses peer modeling to encourage progress through feeding hierarchy
• Parent education about typical mealtimes

All of our feeding programs address a child’s nutritional requirements and help families to understand how to balance a child’s diet despite feeding difficulties.

Additional Speech-Language Therapy Programs:

Augmentative & Alternative Communication
Fast ForWord
Social Skills Groups