“Children with and without feeding challenges grow in mealtime success when they are comfortable and trust.” – Marsha Dunn Klein
Eating should be effortless. Mealtimes should be fun and relaxing. Unfortunately this is not the case for many children and families. Whenever a child is struggling with feeding everyone in the family can be affected. Identifying concerns early and getting help can make a huge difference! Our feeding therapy program focuses on the following:
- Identifying the underlying problems first: oral motor, sensory processing, learned behavior patterns, medical issues
- Establishing a therapy treatment plan to address the identified areas of weakness; this will involve an occupational therapist, a speech therapist or both
- Reducing stress and anxiety surrounding eating through the use of specific approaches in treatment and at home
- Offering support for family members to carryover the feeding program strategies at home and school
- Providing nutrition assistance through a nutrition coach, as needed
“Feeding therapy is a reciprocal relationship that depends on the abilities and characteristics of the parent, the child and the feeding therapist.” – Marsha Dunn Klein
The goal of our feeding therapy intervention process is to:
- Provide the most appropriate intervention techniques for each individual child
- Assist families in understanding their child’s feeding issues
- Assist families with establishing new, positive methods to help their child gain comfort and confidence with eating while also respecting family dynamics and culture
- Provide parents with the training to carryover exercises at home that focus on the development of skills required to eat successfully
There is no quick fix for feeding issues. It takes patience and consistency with using the feeding strategies over time to make progress, but it can be done and we are here to support you along the way!
“Mealtime is a give and take dance between the parent and child.” – Marsha Dunn Klein