Does My Child Need Feeding Therapy
Therapy For Life has a multidisciplinary diagnostic feeding team. Therapy For Life treats children 1 year and older. The feeding team provides highly qualified diagnostic and treatment collaboration to treat your child. With a BCBA (board-certified behavior analyst), speech-language pathologist, and occupational therapist, feeding problems are solved together. If you have determined that your child is a problem feeder, looking for a feeding specialist in your area is a great next step. Because eating is a complex task, a professional can help address and strengthen these areas to support your child and family.
Red flags that your child would benefit from feeding therapy include:
- Relying on breastmilk or a baby/toddler formula (Pediasure, Carnation Instant Breakfast) for the majority of your child’s nutrition after 18 months of age
- Decreased attention to eating during mealtime
- Your child still eats mostly just baby food purees, and they are older than 18 months of age
- Ongoing poor weight gain (dropping percentiles on the growth curve) or weight loss
- Ongoing choking, gagging, coughing, or vomiting during meals
- History of a traumatic choking incident followed by a decrease in food intake and weight loss
- A food range of fewer than 20 foods, especially if foods are being dropped over time without new foods being added to replace them
- Your family is fighting about food and feeding (meals are battles)
If mealtimes are a constant battle in your home or your child does not have a variety of food likings, finding a skilled feeding team in your community can make a huge positive difference. We hope this information is helpful as you consider your choices.
