With the right type of therapy, a child will learn how to nourish themselves or allow themselves to be nourished, and mealtimes can become a calmer bonding experience for the entire family.
Schedule Your Free ConsultationFill out the form below and one of our children specialists will reach out for a free consultation.
Fill out the form below and one of our children specialists will reach out for a free consultation.
“I feel very grateful to Step by Step Speech therapists for being responsible people, and very affectionate with my son! I saw his evolution thanks to the therapies, and I know that he will continue to advance. Thanks!”
Parent: Abigail Cruz
“Since we started the therapies with you, my Son has come a long way, thanks to the professionalism of his team, the love and dedication that my Baby has always had, he has already overcome many of his difficulties and we will continue working together to reach the goal. I heartily recommend them.”
Parent: Yanet Rodriguez
The benefits of mealtime far exceed just the consumption of food. Mealtimes are about building trust and instinctively bonding with those we are eating with. This is especially true for families with young children, as children depend on parents for their meals and all their basic needs. However, for some children, mealtimes can be overwhelming, often resulting in a malnourished child, as well as frustration and stress for both the child and parents.
Eating is not an instinctive practice for all children. For example, an underlying condition or disorder, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, may increase sensitivity to food types, textures, or the practice of physically eating. Children may also require feeding therapy if transitioning from a gastric tube for meals to eating through their mouth. Therefore, some children require feeding therapy to develop the knowledge and skillset necessary to properly nourish themselves or to allow themselves to be fed by a parent.
At Step by Step Speech, our therapists work one-on-one with a child to assess the particular difficulty a child may have with mealtimes or feeding. After the evaluation, our therapists make a custom plan for each child to address the issue with feeding. Because mealtimes heavily depend on parents, our therapists work closely with both the child and their family to develop strategies to better help nourish the child. Parents are encouraged to participate in the therapy to familiarize themselves with the techniques used to feed their child so that the parents can integrate this approach outside the therapy session. With the right type of therapy, a child will learn how to nourish themselves or allow themselves to be nourished, and mealtimes can become a calmer bonding experience for the entire family.
Refusal to eat foods with
particular foods, often
because of shape, color,
or texture of the food
Stressful, fussy, frustrated
behavior when asked to eat or
at mealtimes
Spits out food instead
of swallowing it
Gagging on food or
chokes on food
Coughing continuously
throughout feeding times
or at meals
Has difficulty chewing
bites of food
Exhibits difficulty
swallowing whole bites
of food
Struggles to swallow food or
refuses to swallow when given
particular type of food
May reject hot foods, cold
foods or if it the food is not at
a desired temperature
Dry heaves or vomits
directly following a meal
Dislikes or refuses new food
types, such as transitioning
from a liquid food to a solid
Physically throws
away or pushes the
food out of sight
Difficult meal experiences for the entire family; for example, child
that is crying, physically tries to
climb out of chair or arches away from parent
An increasingly long mealtime
with the child, for example, a
mealtime longer than 45
minutes for a child or infant
Fill out the form below and one of our children specialists will reach out for a free consultation.
Fill out the form below and one of our children specialists will reach out for a free consultation.
“I feel very grateful to Step by Step Speech therapists for being responsible people, and very affectionate with my son! I saw his evolution thanks to the therapies, and I know that he will continue to advance. Thanks!”
Parent: Abigail Cruz
“Since we started the therapies with you, my Son has come a long way, thanks to the professionalism of his team, the love and dedication that my Baby has always had, he has already overcome many of his difficulties and we will continue working together to reach the goal. I heartily recommend them.”
Parent: Yanet Rodriguez