Feeding Evaluations and Treatment

Our Feeding Services are tailored specifically to meet the needs of each individual child.  We offer a gentle, sensory-based approach, based on tenants of the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Program developed by Kay Toomey.  This involves gradual introduction of new foods based on foods your child is already eating and follows a progression of sensory steps used to desensitize your child to new tastes and textures.  We also offer a behaviorally based feeding program, which incorporates evidence-based features of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), to facilitate your child’s acceptance of new foods.  Typical calls to us involve children who are eating only a limited variety of foods (French fries, chicken nuggets, crackers, etc…), children who eliminate entire food groups from their diets (exclude all fruits, vegetables, meats, or dairy), children who insist on sameness (same brand of food, same packaging, prepared the same way, same temperature, same serving dish, etc…), children on the Autism Spectrum who resist new foods or “drop” previously accepted foods from their diets, and children who gag, become sick, or demonstrate extreme behaviors (screaming, running away, throwing tantrums, etc…) when presented with new foods.  As Feeding Disorders are complex, an excellent first step would be to contact the office and explain your child’s specific needs – we will then direct you towards the program and provider that may best meet your child’s needs. We offer teletherapy sessions as requested and appropriate.