Announcing the Hello Feeding Clinic

September 27, 2017 BY Kelly C. Bawden, MS, CCC-SLP

We are so excited to share that we have added a feeding clinic to our menu of client services here at the clinic! Our occupational therapist, Christina, and SLP feeding specialist, Caitlin, are now offering supportive services for families with children who have feeding difficulties, including direct intervention for children and young adults.

Here’s who we work with:

Infants who may struggle to effectively, efficiently, safely, or enjoyably feed by bottle or breast: Including cleft lip and/or palate, prematurity, poor suck, reflux, feeding tube, swallowing problems, neurological disorders, muscle weakness or tone issues, and more.

Children who present with challenging mealtime/eating behaviors: Including difficulty transitioning to solid foods/new textures, difficulty chewing, gagging, coughing, trouble with cup drinking or self-feeding with utensils, picky eating, developmental or sensory concerns.

Families who may benefit from individualized guidance in providing positive and developmentally supportive mealtimes for their children: Guidance with appropriate portions and food types, scheduling of meals/snacks, tips for encouraging acquisition of feeding skills and help taking some of the stress out of mealtimes!

Children who are underweight and/or have complex medical needs and are followed by a medical team, but would benefit from more frequent team-based follow-up and support: Assistance with carrying out recommendations of MD or medical feeding team, work collaboratively with MD/team, assistance with oral feeding skills and general development, transitioning from feeding tubes

When a client chooses to work with our feeding team they have several options for accessing our services:

Individual Services

Caregiver(s) and child meet with OT, SLP (RD optional) for initial assessment, information gathering, and collaborative problem-solving session. Families walk away with customized plan and suggestions. Follow-up treatment meetings may occur, depending on the needs of child and family.

Group Treatment Services

For some children, SLP and OT guided peer feeding groups are effective. Children participate in feeding groups where they practice feeding skills and learn about new or challenging foods.

Caregiver Education and Support Services

From time-to-time, we offer opportunities for caregivers of children with or without feeding difficulties to gather and learn about developmentally supportive feeding strategies to implement at home. Feeding babies and toddlers is challenging for many families, so educating yourself can take some of the stress out of mealtimes. These are typically low-cost 1-2 hour offerings.

In-Services for Pediatricians 

On-site in-services to help pediatricians manage care for children who present with feeding concerns and their families.

We’ve taken all of this information and put it in this handy-dandy downloadable/printable flyer. Just click on the image below to be taken to a pdf. And, if you or someone you know might benefit from a consultation with our excellent feeding team, please contact us today!

 

Hello Feeding Clinic Flyer