Mealtime and feeding therapy can be helpful for children who have difficulties with eating and drinking due to physical, developmental, or medical conditions.
How does mealtime and feeding therapy work?
Our speech pathologists and occupational therapists can work with your child to improve:
- Oral-motor skills, such as sucking, biting, and chewing
- Ability to coordinate swallowing
- Sensory processing, for example, how they respond to the sight, smell, and taste of food
- Social skills related to eating, such as how they interact with others at the table.
Signs your child may need mealtime and feeding support.
Babies
- Poor weight gain,
- Difficulty using bottle,
- Coughing or gagging during feeds
- Parent/infant distress during feeds
Children and young people
- Coughing or gagging while drinking or eating
- Food refusal or will only eat a limited range of foods
- Difficulty transitioning through solids
- Difficulty chewing, biting or using straws
- Slow mealtimes
Areas of support may include:
- Fussy eating
- Challenges with mealtime routines
- Delayed oral skills (chewing, biting)
- Family emotional support around mealtimes
