What is Pediatric Feeding OT?

Pediatric Feeding/Occupational Therapy focuses on helping children who struggle with mealtimes, sensory discomforts, anxiety or fear, and oral-motor skills. Occupational therapists in this field assess and treat a wide range of feeding difficulties, including problems with chewing, gagging, food aversions, and sensory sensitivities to textures, tastes, smells and/or sights of foods. 

Therapists work with children to develop the physical, cognitive, psychological and sensory skills needed for eating. This may include:

• Improving oral motor skills (e.g., lip, tongue, and jaw coordination)

• Addressing sensory processing issues related to food textures and smells

• Helping children build a positive relationship with food and reducing mealtime anxiety for parent and child

• Equipping families with strategies to create calm, enjoyable mealtime routines

The goal is to help children become more independent with eating and enjoy a balanced, nutritious diet in a way that’s both safe and enjoyable for them.

At Kayli's Kids OT Kayli has experience working with children with a variety of diagnoses and conditions including but not limited to: 

• cerebral palsy, down's syndrome, prematurity, history of or current use of nasal gastric and/or gastric tube feedings, oral aversion, sensory processing difficulties, hyperactive gag reflex, tethered oral tissues (lip, cheek, and/or tongue ties), cleft lip and/or palate, failure to thrive, poor/delayed growth, autism disorder, muscular dystrophies, genetic conditions, traumatic brain injuries, and cerebral vascular accidents (aka stokes).