Feeding Therapy
When a child is experiencing difficulties with eating, mealtimes can often be discouraging and frustrating for families. For many children, eating is a chore due to various feeding/swallowing complications.
Despite parents’ best efforts, these children often need specialized intervention to achieve success with eating. Mealtimes do not have to be a battle. We are here to help.
Children with severe food selectivity are typically treated with a behavioral
feeding approach.
The Food Chaining Protocol, a systematic method for treating children with extreme food sensitivity, is utilized with the majority of children experiencing behavioral feeding difficulties.
Feeding treatment is provided at PTI to address a variety of feeding and swallowing difficulties in children.
We do not always know what causes feeding difficulties in children; however, we are able to identify two areas of overall difficulty:
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Behavioral/Sensory difficulties
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food aversions
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very picky eater
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failure to thrive
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aversive meal time behaviors
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gagging/avoidance of textures
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Medically-based difficulties
Children with medically-based feeding/swallowing difficulties may also receive feeding treatment at PTI.
Children who qualify for this type of treatment may have difficulties with one or more of the following:
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gastrointestinal problems (reflux, feeding tubes, etc)
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reduced/limited intake
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dysphagia (difficulty swallowing, coughing/choking during mealtimes)
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oral motor deficits (difficulty chewing, sucking, etc)
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failure to thrive
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swallowing phobias
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tracheotomies
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structural/anatomical anomalies
