Feeding Therapy

What to look for Specific Programs Tailored to Each Patient Introductions and Evaluations

What to look for

Infants

Unable to finish a bottle during a meal (falling asleep).
Feeding takes longer than 20 minutes for 2 ounces of milk.
Infants who are loud feeders (tongue smacking).
Poor lip seal around the bottle with leakage of milk around lips or onto bibs.

Small Children

Picky eating.
Drinks most of their calories.
Uses distractions when eating.
Takes more than 30 minutes to finish a meal.
All signs listed on “Speech Therapy” page.

Specific Programs Tailored to Each Patient

Every person participating in our therapy sessions has their own unique needs and learning capabilities. Our goal is to help each individual overcome their specific challenges and improve overall communication.

During our first meeting, we perform a detailed evaluation to determine what issues are present and how to best treat these conditions.

Introductions and Evaluations

Each introduction begins with an evaluation process aimed at correctly identifying the root cause while further educating parents and family.

Our therapist begins by collecting a complete medical history while interacting with the patient and family to observe for any social communication disorders that may initially stand out.

Standardized testing for speech and language as well as auditory processing is given to identify possible causes such as attention disorders.

A detailed oral motor evaluation is then used to help identify feeding disorders, muscle coordination difficulties, reflux issues, sensory processing disorders, and even picky eating which can be linked to many other issues.

Once the evaluation is complete, we review all findings with the family members and go over an individualized plan for the patient. Therapy is encouraged 1-2 times per week with as much family involvement as possible to maintain progress at home.