FEEDING THERAPY
How do I get started?
An occupational therapist trained in SOS will review your child’s feeding, sensory and developmental history and observe a typical meal. Oral motor skills are then evaluated by a speech pathologist.
What happens during a therapy session?
Sensory preparation in our sensory gym always comes first. Once your child is well-regulated we march, skip or jump to the eating room, where we continue with sensory warm-up activities for the mouth, such as blowing bubbles or windmills.
Next is food play for younger children, or food school/food science for older children. Food is presented in a logically orchestrated approach. Therapy can take place individually or in a small group with the participation of a parent or caregiver. Parent education including mealtime strategies for home, is a key part of the program
Your child might benefit from SOS Feeding if he/she:
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Has extremely limited food choices (less than 20 foods, with foods being dropped and not replaced)
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Chokes or gags during meals
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Vomits regularly or has a history of reflux
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Refuses to eat any of the foods in a texture group or a nutrition group
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Cannot transition to baby food by 10 months of age
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Will not accept any solid food by 12 months of age
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Poor weight gain or weight loss
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Meals are a battleground
What happens during an SOS session? Children:
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Have positive experiences with food
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Learn mealtime routines and cues to eating
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Decrease resistance to touching, tasting and swallowing food
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Increase the quantity of foods they try
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Increase the volume of food they eat
What makes SOS different from other feeding programs?
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It was developed in conjunction with other health professionals including psychologists, pediatricians, nutritionists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists
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It integrates posture, sensory, motor, behavioral, emotional, medical and nutritional factors
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It is rooted in normal development
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Treatment incorporates systematic desensitization with a strong emphasis on sensory regulation, and avoids rewards.
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Therapy can be implemented with one child or in a group
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It is a family centred care program. The involvement of the family and carryover at home are essential to assessment and treatment
Why do we like SOS at POTS?
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It acknowledges that eating is the most difficult sensory task your child must engage in
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It incorporates both sensory and oral motor challenges in treatment planning
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Research studies have shown it not only works but generalizes and continues to work
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It doesn’t trick or force children to eat
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It provides parents with specific strategies