Is Feeding Therapy Right for My Child?: Feeding Therapy and the SOS Approach
Meal times look different every day, whether it is eating out, on the go, or together as a family. Regardless of where or when the meal is there are different types of eaters. The kids who eat anything and are always hungry, the kids who won’t sit still at the table and “grazes” on their food, the kid who isn’t hungry and will only eat a few bites, and the kid who will only eat a certain handful of foods on any given day. As parent’s, it can be concerning wondering if your child is eating enough or getting the right nutrients, questioning why they aren’t noticing their hunger, why they won’t sit at the table or in their chair for meals. Meal times may come with a lot of miseries. And if that is the case- let’s talk about feeding therapy. In this post we will discuss why eating may be such a challenge, how you know your child could benefit from feeding therapy, what feeding therapy approach WPT uses, and how we can help!
Feeding woes: Why is eating so difficult for my child?
Contrary to popular belief- eating is not instinctual, it actually is learned within the first 2 years of life. This along with other mealtime myths greatly contribute to influencing factors related to children’s feeding. We learn things like how to chew and use our tongue voluntarily, how to use utensils, and how to try new foods. Like learning any skill, there are many factors that may impact your success. For example, learning to ride a bike! Your ability to learn this skill is impacted by external factors like weather, type of ground (gravel, pavement, grass), and support (someone holding the bike balanced and cheering you on). Your ability to learn this skill is impacted also by internal factors such as motivation, confidence, balance, and coordination. The same goes for eating. Take a look at this iceberg that visualizes all the components that go into successful and independent feeding!
As you can see, there are several things that make feeding possible, and if one or more of these are working against your child, then it is likely that feeding is a challenge.
There are many reasons and influencing factors related to why a child may have trouble feeding, the most common 6 reasons include:
Pain
Malaise/Discomfort
Immature Motor, Oral-motor, and/or Swallow Skills
Sensory Processing Problems
Learning/Behavioral reasons
Nutrition deficiencies.
Visit https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/when-children-wont-eat-understanding-the-whys-and-how-to-help/ to learn more about why children won’t eat!
Does my child need feeding therapy: Picky Eating versus Problem Feeding
It is true there is a difference between picky eaters and children that have feeding problems, otherwise called “problem feeders”. Very few kids will grow out of picky eating, and if you find your child is persistently picky after 2 years, they are considered problem feeders. This means your child shows significant and consistent difficulties with feeding/eating patterns characterized by a limited range of foods they will eat, growth and/or nutrition problems, refusal to try new things, and avoidance and emotional distress related to mealtimes that impact family meal times. Here is a summary of what you need to know about picky eaters versus problem feeders.
It may be hard to determine if your child would benefit from feeding therapy. Check out this checklist provided by SOS Approach to Feeding that provides red flags for problem feeding.
Red Flags- Does my child need feeding therapy?
How we can help: Feeding Therapy approach at WPT
Wilson Pediatric Therapy and Learning Center currently has 3 Occupational Therapists certified in the SOS approach and interventions. The SOS feeding approach is an approach to feeding developed by Dr. Toomey to assess and address feeding problems in all settings and contexts. SOS stands for sequential-oral-sensory; the SOS approach assesses and addresses all the components on the iceberg (pictured above) that contribute to feeding difficulties utilizing a child-led, play-based approach to make feeding fun and help your child learn to eat! Here is more about why we chose the SOS feeding approach.
If you have concerns about your child’s feeding and/or are wondering if feeding therapy may be needed talk to your therapy provider!