Feeding therapy helps children with eating difficulties or behaviors. Our Feeding Therapists are experts in treating children who have difficulties learning how to eat or eat better. These include problems with:
- Oral feeding and swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
How well children eat and swallow food and liquids. A swallowing disorder may lead to poor nutrition, weight loss, and other health problems; this is also called dysphagia.
Typically, children who receive feeding therapy services include but are not limited to the following diagnoses or behaviors:
- Sensory processing disorders
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Irritable/fussy with feeding or eats a limited variety of foods
- Difficulty chewing foods (holds food in his/her mouth and swallows pieces whole)
- Difficulty swallowing foods (or certain textures)
- Does not enjoy eating
- Has difficulty transitioning to different food textures at meal time like bottle feedings to puree or puree to solids
- Avoids, gags on, or demonstrates aversive behaviors to certain food textures or entire food groups, like avoiding all vegetables
- Takes longer than 30 minutes during mealtime
- Frequent coughing, gagging, choking, or vomiting during meals
- Rarely tries new foods
- Difficulty coordinating suck/swallow/breath patterns during bottle feedings or breastfeeding
- They’re labeled a “picky eater”
- Gurgly or breathy voice during/after meals