What is Feeding Therapy?

What is feeding therapy? Does your child need it, and if so, how do you get it for them? Get answers from a feeding therapist to help your child!

In many cases, feeding therapy is one of the best ways to get help from a specialist. While some of you have heard of feeding therapy and are considering it, I know for others it is a very new concept and may be something brand new to you. Either way, by the end of this post you will know exactly what feeding therapy is, who it’s for, and how to get to help. Plus, a bunch of other important tips, too!

What is Feeding Therapy?

Basically, in its simplest terms, feeding therapy helps children learn how to eat or how to eat better. Feeding therapists provide feeding therapy and are usually occupational therapists (OT) or speech therapists (ST). Some dietitian/nutritionists provide direct treatment, but more often provide support with additional services for some children to manage any weight or growth concerns when it is necessary.

No matter what their background, it is important to note that “feeding” is a specialty within a specialty. Not all OT’s and ST’s are trained in pediatric practice, and not all pediatric therapists have advanced feeding therapy education and practice either.

Feeding therapy often happens on a weekly basis, but can be every other week or once a month during a scheduled block of time, usually 30-60 minutes long. Most often, this time is spent teaching your child how to eat new foods (if they have a very limited diet) or how to eat (if they don’t know how to chew or manage food in their mouth).

But, depending on the child’s underlying challenges, you may see your child participating in sensory integration activities or completing exercises to strengthen the muscles they need for eating. Exercises will likely be things like blowing bubbles, making silly faces, or using whistles.

Before you get to weekly appointments, an evaluation is completed first, which usually consists of observing the child eat and interviewing the parent. Not very invasive at all.

After the evaluation, the therapist that completed the evaluation makes a recommendation for how often feeding therapy takes place. At this time, goals are written that guide the direction of therapy. The goals are usually specific and include the parents concerns. For instance, a feeding therapy goal might be: Mark will drink from an open cup independently 75% of the time, or Zoe will eat and swallow three new foods independently within 30 days.

Usually, feeding therapy is done one-on-one with a child and therapist. Other times, it’s with a group of children that all have similar goals because a group dynamic can be very motivating for kids. But, feeding therapy may also be done with the parents, which is definitely the case in an early intervention setting.

Who is Feeding Therapy for?

While I gave you a general idea in the section above, I want to get really specific because I know a lot of you are here reading because you want to know if YOUR child needs feeding therapy. Generally speaking, feeding therapy is extremely helpful and strongly recommended if your child is having difficulty actually eating. This is most common with children that have special needs or medical challenges that may make it physically difficult for them.

Pediatrician’s usually suggest feeding therapy early on in these instances, but there are two more common situations that are often overlooked…

Is Feeding Therapy for Picky Eaters?

Not all picky eaters are created equal. It’s a blanket term that is used 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. That’s quite a range! Obviously, feeding therapy isn’t necessary for all of them.

Feeding therapy is recommended for more extreme picky eaters that have a very limited diet and stress around trying new foods.

Is Feeding Therapy for Toddlers?

Depending on the challenges a child is facing, infants can actually be in feeding therapy, so, just to be clear, age doesn’t matter. But, if you’re asking this question, it may be because your toddler is behind on some feeding milestones, and you’re wondering how long you should wait to see if it improves on their own.

For example, maybe your 14 month old is still only eating baby food and you’re not sure if they know how to chew. Or, maybe they cough every time they drink from anything other than a bottle. Another common concern is a sensitive gag reflex.

In any of these cases, reaching out for an evaluation by a specialist is good thing. Your child may or may not end up qualifying for therapy, but at least you will know if they need more help. And, with any evaluation you will get some suggestions for activities to try at home, which may be all you need!

Also, keep in mind that picky eating often starts for children when they are toddlers, and that it is a normal phase. If you feel like it is getting out of control or is beyond any limits of normal, than this would be another instance that a toddler may need feeding therapy.

How to Get Feeding Therapy

At this point, you should have a pretty good idea if feeding therapy is something you should consider or not. First, it is always a good idea to talk to your pediatrician. They should know the best options. BUT, and this is really a big BUT, if you explain your concerns and don’t get an answer that sits well with you, don’t hesitate to get a second or even third opinion. Sometimes feeding issues may seem like typical development on the surface, especially to a doctor that is getting a quick run down, which is why you to listen to your gut instinct.

It’s also important to know that in many cases you don’t need a referral or recommendation from a doctor to proceed with feeding therapy. However, whenever possible it’s best to have your child’s doctor on the same page as you.

We are happy to let you know that Little Sparks has an therapists who specialized in Feeding Therapy. Contact us should you wish to know more.

What to Expect with Feeding Approaches

As you can imagine, there are different approaches to feeding therapy, some of which you may be comfortable with and some that you may not be. There are dozens of specific, different approaches but most of them can be summed up into two different categories:

Behavioral – The traditional method of feeding therapy that uses rewards to gain new foods eaten. For example, your child may be given a sticker, toy, or electronic device for successfully taking a bite of a new food. To get another sticker, toy, or more time with the electronic device, they need to take another bite. Over time, these rewards should be phased out, although that isn’t always the case.

Child directed – This is a more modern approach and is positive in nature. Parents are more involved with this type of treatment and there is a focus on addressing the underlying cause of the problem (i.e. sensory, medical, etc.). While this approach can take longer to see results initially, there is research that supports the effects are longer lasting.

We prefer the child directed approach or we sometimes we are somewhere in between, depending on the child's needs.

If it’s important to you that your child’s feeding therapy does or does not include one of the above approaches, make sure you ask when you schedule an appointment what approach the therapists uses.

Are There Other Options for Help?

If I haven’t been direct enough yet, I think feeding therapy be can great for you and your child. But, I know there are many reasons it sometimes isn’t possible, whether its due to financial constraints, location challenges, or simply not a lot of therapists being available. If that is the case, or if you want to be proactive and get a foundation of really great program in place that you can use in your home, then visit www.yourkidstable.com for tips you can do at home.

Source: yourkidstable.com

What is Feeding Therapy?