Feeding Therapy
At IICA Speech, feeding specialists support a child’s healthy association with and consumption of nutrient-rich foods through client-driven therapy and home strategies. Baby steps and sensory-based play are crucial for children to explore and accept new foods, making the experience fun and comfortable.
Feeding therapy also focuses on maintaining a healthy weight and exposure to a variety of foods and textures, which leads to a balanced intake of nutrients necessary for a child’s development. For children with food avoidance or picky eating habits, feeding therapy addresses the lack of crucial nutrients and oral-motor development issues that affect safe chewing and swallowing.
Feeding therapy helps children develop skills to make mealtime enjoyable and nutritious. The skills taught depend on each child’s needs and may include:
● Oral Skills - Teaching children to control and coordinate chewing, sipping, sucking, and swallowing, as well as improving oral strength and range of motion.
● Food Orientation - Assisting children in broadening their diet by increasing the types and amounts of food they eat, especially for those with sensory aversions or limited exposure to various foods.
● Overall Eating Experience - Helping children and their families create positive mealtime experiences and teaching self-feeding skills like drinking from a cup or using utensils.
Why we play with our food:
Baby steps are crucial when focusing on sensory based feeding goals and play is an integral part of learning for children! They need to feel, see, hear and smell food in a fun and comfortable way before they taste it. Play is an experience that includes all of their senses to increase acceptance of foods that is necessary and sometimes, messy! When we allow children to play with food, we are providing them with opportunities to explore new foods, feel more relaxed and enjoy themselves.