Feeding Therapy

Feeding Therapy can help with... 

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Bluebird Therapy provides a unique approach to feeding therapy in which we combine the knowledge, resources and skills from a variety of feeding techniques to meet each child’s needs.  A combination of sensory, oral motor and behavioral therapy are used during feeding treatment to further engage and enhance each child’s feeding skills to help them gain independence in one of life’s most important skills, as well as provide parents with empowering tools to use at home to further promote feeding independence.  Our program focuses on increasing the variety of foods that a child is willing eat, which in the end promotes healthier eating habits.  Depending upon age and skills, feeding therapy is provided in a group setting, which has proven to be successful with enhancing socialization skills, as well as feeding skills, and has proven to be extremely engaging and fun.  The feeding therapy team consists of speech therapists and an occupational therapist who together have a combined  training that includes the Beckman Oral Motor Approach, SOS Feeding Approach & training in Feeding Therapy 1: It’s not Just about Swallowing.


Who can benefit? 

-Those with poor oral motor skills or sensory sensitivities which limit the amount or variety of foods that they are willing to eat.

-Those who have limited diets or those who are eating foods that are not age appropriate.  Examples: Only eating pureed foods and cannot or will not transition to table foods; Only drinking milk from a bottle but can not or will not eat foods by mouth

-Those who have problems with gagging, poor lip closure or have trouble keeping their tongue in their mouth when eating

-Those who are only eating a few foods and unwilling to try new foods

-Those who have a g-tube and are having trouble transitioning off of the g-tube

-Those who have a child who is stressful to feed or help eat

-Those who are not obtaining enough calories or nutritional caloric intake


Requirements:

-A feeding therapy evaluation to determine the child’s needs and eligibility for the program. To begin the process have your pediatrician fax us a referral for a feeding therapy evaluation and treatment with your child’s diagnosis on it.  The evaluation will be performed by the feeding team (a speech therapist and an occupational therapist).

-After the evaluation, recommendations will be provided.  Feeding therapy typically consists of a 12 week commitment to the program (whether individual or group is recommended) and at the end of 12 weeks, further treatment will be committed to if needed.

-Parent carryover and commitment to attending the majority of the treatment sessions, as a lot of preparation goes into feeding therapy.