Our feeding specialists help babies and children with delays in meeting feeding milestones. Therapists are trained in a variety of techniques, some of which include, Beckman Oral Motor Program, Food Chaining, TalkTools Sensory-Motor Approach to Feeding, and Tethered Oral Tissue Specialty Training (tongue and lip tie).
Feeding
is impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate and is associated with medical, nutritional, oral motor, sensory and/or structural issues.
Feeding disorders, along with contributing factors, may include the following:
- Weight gain and growth concerns
- Breast or bottle feeding difficulties
- Difficulty transitioning to age-appropriate diet
- Texture refusal or “picky eating”
- Difficult mealtime behaviors
- Oral motor deficits
- Gagging, vomiting, holding food in the mouth
- Feeding tube or supplement dependence
- Sensory related issues
- Structural deficits: cleft lip/palate, tongue/lip tie
Oral-motor
Refers to awareness and coordinated movements of the jaw, lip and tongue function. It can be used to increase tone, strength and range of motion needed for speaking and feeding.
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs)
is when there is an abnormal lip, jaw, or tongue position during rest, swallowing or speech. Poor oral habits, like thumb or finger sucking or upper airway obstruction may cause the disorder.