Struggles with feeding and nutrition can disrupt normal development and impact cognitive development, physical strength, emotional and overall nutritional health. Causes vary greatly and include medical, oral motor, sensory, emotional and environmental factors. The Clubhouse is here to help create a positive mealtime experience for your family and put your child on the road to healthier eating.
Feeding & Nutrition
Hitting some bumps in the road to healthy eating and nutrition?
When Should I Consider Feeding & Nutrition Services?
You may consider feeding & nutrition services if your child:
- Avoids entire categories of food textures and has a generally restricted range of accepted foods.
- Has a strong emotional reaction to the presentation of new foods
- Rarely eats the same food as the rest of the family
- Frequent gags, chokes or coughs during meals
- May have respiratory problems
- Has/had difficulty making the developmental transitions (breast to bottle to cereal to mixed textures, etc.)
We Treat:
- Food allergies and sensitivities
- Anxiety
- ASD or SPD
- Constipation
- Tube fed diets and tolerance issues
- General oral motor deficits or those related to:
- Down Syndrome
- Cerebral Palsy
- Neuromuscular disorder
- Picky eating/problem feeding associated with complex medical histories:
- NICU babies
- GERD
- Tube feedings
- Respiratory distress
- Cardiac diagnoses
Frequently Asked Questions
If mealtimes are creating stress and impacting your family dynamic, then support for feeding is recommended. Other signs your child may need support might be restricting whole food groups or textures, having strong emotional responses to new foods, or having to eat separate meals from the rest of the family. Children who have frequent gagging or coughing during meals may also benefit.
Feeding therapy can be sensory exploration of food, using food in play, preparing meals, experimenting with foods and collecting data, and much more. Our sessions focus on a low-pressure environment using a child-responsive approach. Nutrition visits involve direct one-on-one consultation between the parents and the registered dietitian to create a home plan that fits each family’s individual needs.
Positive relationships with food start with a low-pressure environment and neutral language regarding foods. Therapists will work with each family to come up with changes to make at home as therapy evolves based around your child’s needs.
Typically, children receiving feeding therapy will receive services once per week, but this can vary depending on the needs of your child. Nutrition services can range from one to two times per month.