Feeding Therapy

The AEIOU: Integrated Approach to Feeding is a comprehensive framework used to assess and address feeding challenges in infants and children. This approach considers five key components of feeding: Arousal (child's state of alertness), Engagement (interaction with food and caregivers), Intention (child's desire to eat), Overt cues (observable feeding behaviors), and Understanding of cues (caregiver's interpretation of child's signals). By integrating these factors, therapists can develop holistic and individualized feeding plans that promote positive feeding experiences and skill development.

Our feeding therapists treat clients with ARFID in a holistic and interdisciplinary manner, considering their mental health, dietary health, positive mealtime associations, and overall motivation to improve feeding skills. Depending on age and client needs, practitioners may take a food science approach, a sensory approach, or a combination of approaches to provide your child with positive support for feeding.

The CAN-EAT Approach is a comprehensive and evidenced-based framework for assessing and treating pediatric feeding disorders. The acronym represents the broad concepts of Comfort and Nutrition, Establish Acceptance, Therapy. Using these factors as a guide to consider the underlying medical, nutritional, oral motor, sensory, and behavioral factors that contribute to feeding challenges, this approach provides a structured and supportive pathway to help children develop confident and competent eating skills, fostering a positive relationship with food in a gentle and effective manner.  

The Get Permission Approach uses a holistic, loving approach to support positive mealtime experiences for children and their families. Practitioners will focus on children feeling well at mealtimes, building relationships with feeding, providing parent education, adult-guided and child-led experiences, and celebration of mealtimes.  

SOFFI ( Supporting Oral Feeding in Fragile Infants) uses an integrated approach to promote oral motor skills for feeding for preterm infants, infants with complex comorbidities, or any infant having difficulty with oral feeding. Practitioners using SOFFI focus on homeostasis and thorough parent education to improve engagement in feeding. 

The SOS approach uses a transdisciplinary, holistic approach to feeding. Practitioners using the SOS approach will use Play with a Purpose, the Steps to Eating, and evidence-based treatments to build feeding skills with your child. Children will interact with food in a playful, no-stress environment to build their relationship and comfort during mealtimes.

The SOS Food Science Model is an adaptation within the broader SOS Approach to Feeding, specifically designed for older children and adolescents who may benefit from a more cognitive and analytical approach to food. In this model, children act as "Food Scientists," engaging in structured exploration and experimentation with foods. They learn about food properties (e.g., how foods look, smell, feel, and taste), categorize them, predict reactions, and even participate in cooking or preparing foods. This transforms feeding therapy into an engaging, research-based activity, empowering children to logically understand and safely interact with a wider variety of foods, moving beyond purely sensory-based challenges.  

A therapist with this training would support infants and children with difficulties coordinating sucking, swallowing, and breathing (SSB) during feeding through relevant factors such as positioning, oral motor skills, sensory integration and/or compensatory strategies.

Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs), commonly known as tongue-tie or lip-tie, refer to restrictive oral tissues that can impact a child's ability to feed, speak, or maintain optimal oral health. Our therapists work to assess the functional impact of TOTs on feeding, speech development, and oral motor skills. We provide pre- and post-revision therapy to support muscle retraining, improve range of motion, and establish efficient feeding and oral motor patterns, ensuring comprehensive support for your child's needs.