Feeding Therapy
Cutting Edge Pediatric and Adult Therapy believes in the comprehensive treatment of the “whole” person. With developmental and learning differences, this may consist of many collaborative units working together to support personal growth at its maximum potential. One of those collaborative units is Feeding Therapy. Speech-language pathologists help clients and families overcome barriers to eating that may be impacting their nutrition or overall quality of life. Feeding therapy consists of specialized interventions to allow the client to gain the necessary feeding and oral motor planning skills that allow for increased independence and enjoyable mealtimes for families.
Speech-language pathologists provide evaluation and treatment for:
- Picky eating
- Behavioral response eating
- Poor nutrition due to refusal of food groups
- Sensory Feeding challenges
- Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
- Oral motor difficulties
- Tube feeding and transitioning to oral feeds
- Transitioning to solids
- Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders & Lip/Tongue Ties and Tongue thrust
- Difficulties with breast and bottle feeding
Why come to Cutting Edge for Feeding?
Our facility has been designed with all ages in mind, from infants and toddlers to young adults. Whether you are a mother needing assistance with breast/bottle feeding, a child that has been on thickened liquids and is ready to transition to thin liquids, or mealtimes for your family are difficult due to your child’s restricted and picky eating, our SLPs are extensively trained in feeding and swallowing to treat all these difficulties and more!
Restrictive or picky eating is targeted utilizing family-centered approaches that incorporate sensory and relationship-based approaches for all ages. Using play and child-leading initiatives empowers our clients to feel safe to explore foods and feel they have control of their choices. For our teenagers and young adults, the SLP can work to provide education regarding nutrition and trialing foods in a safe and trust-based environment.
No matter what age your child is, we highly value collaboration. Your child will have the opportunity to work with a collaborative team of therapists. We offer co-treatment across disciplines, if appropriate to your child’s needs, and engage in daily collaboration and consultation across PT, OT, ABA, Counseling, and Speech. We know that by working together in-house, we can not only maximize your child’s success, but also make things easier for you as a family!
A feeding evaluation will clearly identify areas of weakness and provide an assessment of your child’s skill level. Feeding therapy can then address these areas of weakness and close the gap, with the goal of advancing your child’s skills to their age-appropriate range. The CEPT Feeding therapy team provides in-depth assessments and one-on-one intervention for all of our clients. We recognize just how important these skills are and provide above industry standard sessions to facilitate individual progress.
After completing an initial feeding evaluation, the evaluating SLP will individualize your child’s treatment plan based on his/her specific needs to ensure lasting feeding success.
Let’s Work Together
Feeding should be a joyful, bonding experience—not a source of stress. At Cutting Edge, we’re here to guide your family every step of the way. Contact us today to schedule a feeding evaluation and begin your journey toward confident, happy mealtimes.
In addition, some of the specialized intervention programs we offer are described below. If appropriate, one or more of these programs may be recommended for your child. (Some areas and specializations are available only at one of our clinics due to staff trainings, please contact us if you have a specific technique or area that you would like to address with feeding therapy.)
SOS Approach to Feeding
The SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding focuses on increasing a child’s comfort level by exploring and learning about the different properties of food. The program allows a child to interact with food in a playful, non-stressful way, beginning with the ability to tolerate the food in the room and in front of him/her, then moving on to managing the smell of the food, learning how food feels on the body and in one’s mouth, and then enjoying tasting and eating new foods following the 32 Steps to Eating.
Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Feeding/Swallowing (VitalStim)
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation involves the administration of small, electrical impulses to the swallowing muscles in the throat through electrodes attached to the skin overlaying the musculature. Once the electrodes are placed and current intensity has been increased to a satisfactory level, the therapist begins traditional oral motor, feeding, and swallowing exercises with the patient. The VitalStim Therapy System is utilized to administer NMES. A specialty certified speech-language pathologist administers NMES. It is a non-invasive therapy.
SOFFI®
SOFFI® is an integrated approach to supporting oral feeding in preterm and in medically complex infants, both in the NICU and in the Early Intervention setting. The approach aids in identifying causations of failure to thrive and distinction of various sucking patterns and how to support the infant and mother utilizing various comprehensive interventions that incorporate approaches to latching, flow rate, positioning, and pacing.
AEIOU: An Integrated Approach to Pediatric Feeding
AEIOU: An Integrated Approach to Pediatric Feeding is a method that helps children with feeding difficulties learn to explore food, enjoy eating, and participate independently in mealtimes. It focuses on five key elements: Acceptance, Exposure, Independence, Observation, and Understanding, promoting a holistic, family-centered approach to feeding therapy.
Oromyofunctional Therapy
Oromyofunctional Therapy (also referred to as OMT or Myo) addresses issues regarding tongue placement when at rest, during swallowing, or speech. These issues can be diagnosed as an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD) and are identified as abnormal movement patterns of the face and mouth. OMT can address concerns regarding TMJ, drooling, lack of lip seal, messy eating, sound errors, a reverse swallow, mouth breathing and snoring through personalized re-patterning therapy that targets optimal oral functioning through improved motor planning and positioning.