Pediatric Feeding Therapy enables a child to engage with food in a fun and healthy way which ensures proper nutrition and growth.

Eating is a part of a child’s everyday life, and it serves many purposes. Most importantly, it provides them with the energy and nutrition necessary to grow and live a healthy life, but that’s not all! Mealtime presents opportunities for participating in social engagement, building and understanding routines, fostering a sense of security, and so much more. At D.O.T.S. for Kids, our Pediatric Speech and Feeding Therapists are here to offer information and support when eating and mealtimes become stressful for a child and, in turn, their family.

Through evaluation, treatment, and collaboration with the child’s family, our Speech and Feeding Therapists’ goal is to help children to engage with age appropriate foods independently and confidently. 

Pediatric Speech and Feeding Therapists provide evaluation and intervention for children who might be experiencing the following:

• Poor weight gain or noted weight loss
• Refusal of entire food groups
• Eating and breathing coordination issues (causing aspiration or coughing)
• Fewer than 20 foods in their diet
• Trouble transitioning to age appropriate food textures
• Refusal to eat at the table or with the family
• Difficulty chewing
• Gagging, spitting, vomiting
• Fear of new foods and/or textures
• Refusal of previously eaten foods

Services

• Pediatric Occupational Therapy
• Pediatric Physical Therapy
• Pediatric Speech Therapy
• Pediatric Feeding Therapy
• Sensory Integration Therapy
• Talking Together Speech Group

Helpful Links

• Alert Program
• Handwriting Without Tears
• Out of Sync Child