Feeding Therapy

Feeding Therapy encompasses the range of needs a child may have when it comes to the oral intake of nutrition. This can range from developing the muscular strength needed to safely feed orally to desensitization of various textures to increase a child’s palette. 

Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) is a technique which is part of the Talk Tools® program. It works to increase a child’s muscle movement to aid in oral feeding. Various tools (horns, straws, bite blocks) are incorporated to aid in muscular training. This program has been shown effective in children with Down’s Syndrome, children with articulation errors, children who drool, and children with sensory issues which impacts their food preferences. 

The Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach is a trans-disciplinary program that addresses the complexities of feeding by looking at the whole child: organ systems, muscles, development, sensory processing, oral motor skills, cognition, and environment. It is a program for both assessing and treating children with feeding difficulties as well as weight/growth problems.

The SOFFI method (Supporting Oral Feeding in Fragile Infants) is a multidisciplinary approach designed to identify feeding readiness and provide intervention strategies to the caregiver based on the infant’s abilities from birth through the first six months. The approach is focused on both breast and bottle feedings.