Feeding Therapy for babies, toddlers, children and adolescents is discussed with the family at the time of the initial assessment and re-evaluated as progress is made. Feeding Therapy can be carried out at a range of locations as deemed appropraite – the Lively Eaters clinic rooms, your child’s home, school or childcare, even the local cafe or resturant. The frequency and number of sessions will depend on the severity of the eating/feeding difficulty, your child’s response to strategies and techniques and the way your family responds to making changes at home.
Lively Eaters is blessed with a dynamic and highly skilled Feeding Therapy team. This means that families often work with a range of Feeding Therapists at different times depending on progress and challenges. This seamless transition is important to ensure that the needs of the child and family at any one given time, are being met.
A range of different feeding therapy approaches are incorporated into the child and family’s individual Feeding Therapy plan. Therapists are trained in a range of therapies including the ‘Division of Responsibility’ (Ellyn Satter), Wilbarger Therapressure Program and Oral Tactile Technique, SOS approach (Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to Feeding), The Fun with Food Programme (Arlene McCurtin), Mealtime Matters (Gillian Griffiths), Sensational Mealtimes (Dr Denise Stapleton & Gillian Griffiths), sensory processing approaches (Winnie Dunn, Gen Jereb), Circle of Security, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), use of visual strategies, and DIR Floortime. Coupled with many years of experience working with children with a range of developmental, intellectual and behavioural challenges (as well as typically developing children!!) all of our Feeding Therapists work to integrate practical and realistic therapy goals and strategies to assist your family.
Feeding support may be in the form of individual Feeding Therapy sessions; group Feeding Therapy or a more intensive feeding program. Specialised Group Feeding Therapy programs run throughout the school holidays and during term time.
It’s not uncommon to walk through ‘our place’ and see children cooking in the kitchen, bouncing around the Sensory Room, highchairs being wheeled from one room to another, parents having a quiet reflection session in the ‘calm room’ or youth chatting with a therapist in one of the front rooms. Whilst we are skilled in a range of theoretical approaches, the way we actually provide therapy is as creative and individual to your child/youth/family as it needs to be.
