Feeding Therapy

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.

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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.

Feeding therapy may benefit a child if the child
exhibits any of the following behaviors:

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

Get a custom plan for your child to address the issue
with feeding by scheduling your consultation today.

Schedule Your Free Consultation