If your child is having trouble with feeding or swallowing, we understand how challenging it can be. Our team provides expert, compassionate care to help your child feel confident and comfortable at mealtimes. Together, we’ll make eating and drinking more enjoyable for you and your child.
Helping children overcome swallowing + feeding difficulties
If your child has trouble eating or swallowing, we’re here to help. Some children struggle with breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, transitioning to solid foods, picky eating or swallowing difficulties caused by delays in how their mouth or muscles work.
Our specialty-trained speech-language pathologists create personalized eating and swallowing therapy plans designed for your child’s specific needs. We’ll partner with you to ensure they get the care and support they need to eat safely and enjoy mealtimes.
With the right therapy and support, your child can feel confident, capable and comfortable during meals.
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Conditions
Pediatric feeding and swallowing therapy helps children with various conditions affecting their eating or swallowing ability. Some common conditions treated include:
- Aspiration
- Cleft lip and palate
- Dysphagia
- Feeding aversions
- Oral-motor delays
- Picky eating
- Reflux
- Sensory processing disorder
- Trauma or injury
- Neurological conditions
These conditions can make mealtimes challenging for children, but pediatric feeding and swallowing therapy provides specialized care to address these issues and help children eat safely and comfortably.
Signs your child may need a feeding evaluation
Some challenges are clear, but others might be harder to spot. Your child may benefit from a feeding evaluation if they are experiencing:
- Coughing, choking or a wet-sounding voice after eating or drinking
- Difficulty gaining weight or growing
- Nutritional deficiencies or reliance on supplements or tube feeding
- Trouble chewing, swallowing or handling food
- Food refusal, picky eating or stressful mealtime behaviors
- Conditions like cerebral palsy, eosinophilic esophagitis or other medical issues
Testing
In pediatric feeding and swallowing therapy, a variety of tests and assessments are used to understand and address feeding and swallowing difficulties. These tests help identify the specific challenges a child is facing and guide the creation of an individualized therapy plan. Here are some common types of testing used:
- Caregiver interviews: You’ll share what you’ve noticed about your child’s eating habits and challenges at home.
- Clinical feeding assessment: We will watch the child eat and drink to see if they have trouble chewing, swallowing or breathing while eating. They check how the child’s mouth and tongue work.
- Mealtime observation: We will watch the child during a meal to see how they act around food and what challenges they face, like picky eating or avoiding certain foods.
Using this information, we’ll create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your child’s specific needs. Our goal is to set them up for success at mealtimes and beyond.
Treatments
Once we’ve identified the underlying causes of your child’s challenges, we’ll work with you to create a therapy plan that supports progress at home and in therapy sessions.
- Adjusting positioning or the feeding environment for better control and safety
- Exercises to strengthen oral and sensory motor skills
- Food play and exploration to encourage trying new foods
- Strategies like food chaining to build on foods your child already enjoys
- Caregiver training to make mealtimes at home more positive
Every child is different, so we’ll customize your child’s plan to fit their specific needs.
With the right feeding and swallowing therapy support, you and your child can feel confident and capable at mealtimes. Together, we’ll turn challenges into progress and create a more positive experience for your family.
Let us help your child take that first step toward happy, healthy eating habits and mealtime success.
FAQs
What ages do you treat?
Feeding and swallowing therapy can be helpful at any age. We treat newborns all the way up to teenagers.
How long are appointments?
The initial evaluation is 60-90 minutes. And then follow-up sessions are usually 30 minutes.
Does my child’s doctor need to prescribe this for me?
Yes, you’ll need a doctor’s order before the initial evaluation. Talk to them about your concerns and they’ll determine next best steps.
Will my child outgrow their picky eating?
Picky eating is common in children and often a normal part of development. But it's important to figure out the cause so we can help determine if treatment is recommended.
My newborn is having trouble eating—should I see you or a lactation consultant?
A lactation consultant helps with breastfeeding issues, while a feeding therapist looks at overall feeding problems, including sensory, oral motor skills and swallowing. If feeding problems happen during breastfeeding, we can help.
Our locations
From regular office visits to inpatient stays, find the healthcare you need and deserve close to home.
Our doctors + care team
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