Is your child a picky eater? Does your child have a difficulty eating due to medical needs or sensory processing difficulties?
We understand how important it is to address nutritional and eating struggles at an early age with a relationship-based approach.
Mealtime should be a social, inviting time in a family’s routine where parents and children look forward to relaxing together. When children and infants have difficulties eating, mealtime can become a stressful event for both parent and child.
To be able to provide support and assistance to families struggling in such an important area of development is a special task that requires patience and a positive relationship with caregivers and food.
What makes Feeding Therapy at CDI different?
Family Focused: CDI’s Feeding Therapy offers a nurturing place for families to learn effective feeding strategies.
“Whole Child” Integrated Approach: Working with a child’s pediatrician, therapists offer comprehensive evaluation and treatment that is relationship-based and designed with a child’s individual needs in mind.
Experienced: Our trained multidisciplinary teams help parents understand the physical, social-emotional and environmental factors that affect eating behaviors. We work to make sure that meals are safe, positive experiences and also nutritionally balanced.
What is Feeding Therapy?
Feeding therapy is facilitating the activities related to eating, swallowing and mealtime tasks. Through intervention, the therapist and family determines the areas need and the most “client-centered” strategies to increase independent participation in mealtime. Components of feeding therapy may address improving oral motor abilities, coordinating phases of a swallow, exploring various food textures and sensations, or introducing foods to increase variety or nutritional needs. The feeding therapist and family holistically support mealtime by exploring physical, psychological and cultural factors associated with feeding.
Feeding services are provided by both Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists utilizing a relationship based approach to feeding therapy. CDI provides essential services in the comprehensive management of feeding, eating, and swallowing conditions for infants and young children with a variety of diagnoses.
Does your child show any of these signs?
- Difficulty latching to bottle or breast
- Only eats foods of certain textures or types
- Only eats foods of a certain temperature
- Only eats a limited variety of food
- Coughs, chokes or gags when eating or drinking
- Limited self-feeding skills
- Restricted diets due to medical or allergy concerns
- Has difficulty transitioning from tube feeding
- Has a cleft palate or repaired cleft palate
- Oral motor related feeding concerns
CDI’s Feeding Therapists are trained and/or have certification in:
- S.O.S. Feeding Therapy Approach
- Dysphagia
- Sensory Integration
- Beckman’s Oral Motor Protocol
Nothing is scarier for a mom, than when your baby won’t eat. I didn’t know where to go for help. Luckily, I found CDI. The therapists were thoughtful, patient and creative. With their support, we were able to come up with some ideas to help my son tolerate different textures and eat food! I am so grateful for their help.
– Jenny,
CDI Client Family