Feeding Therapy

Feeding therapy, also known as food therapy, is a specialized form of therapy that addresses difficulties or challenges related to eating, feeding, and swallowing. Feeding therapy, is provided by a trained occupational or speech therapist to teach your child how to eat or eat better. During the evaluation process, we will discover your child’s underlying issues to eating. This may be sensory, motor, or a combination of both.

Does my child need feeding therapy?

If you happen to notice difficulties in one or more of these areas, an evaluation for treatment may be appropriate:

Child in high chair enjoying food, smiling with frosting on face, illustrating positive feeding experience in feeding therapy context.
  • Picky Eater
  • Difficulty Chewing 
  • Gags
  • Chokes / Coughs while eating
  • Difficulty Swallowing 
  • Poor Nutrition 
  • Only eats one texture or food type
  • Poor self regulation at meal time
  • Is not gaining weight or growing
  • Refuses to eat or drink
  • Spits up or throws up a lot
  • Cries or fusses, or arches  back when feeding
  • Has trouble breathing while eating or drinking
  • Has problems chewing or coughs or gags during meals
  • Has a gurgle or breathy or hoarse voice during or after meals
  • challenges with breastfeeding, bottle-feeding,
  • difficulty transitioning to solid foods.
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Milestones

Children develop in certain predictable ways, referred to as developmental milestones. Milestones help you understand how your child learns and grows. If a child misses a milestone, identifying the delay early allows for timely monitoring and interventions if necessary.

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Who can benefit ?

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Bell’s Palsy
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Down Syndrome
  • Facial Weakness
  • Feeding Difficulties
  • GERD/GER
  • Sensory processing disorder
  • Picky eaters
  • Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE),
  • Swallowing disorders,
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Cancer of head and neck

Thanks to our OT at Therapy Smarts, our son was able to eat eggs during meal time with no negative aversions. Before starting occupational therapy, eggs were a non-preferred food for our son. He would avoid touching them and wouldn't even think about eating them. His tactile sensitivities not only impacted the foods he ate but also his play exploration. After participating in sensory based activities during one of his OT sessions, our son was willing to explore and eat eggs without any negative reactions. This is such a huge step for him and our family. We can't wait to see what he will try next

TS dad