Pediatric Complex Feeding Issues: 2-Day Intensive Training *Pre-Order* – Jessica Hunt
Salepage link: At HERE. Archive:
This digital seminar is currently on pre-order meaning that the video will not be ready until 2-3 weeks after the program has taken place.
Children do not present with one area of difficulty when it comes to feeding – it is typically a mix of behavior, sensory and oral-motor issues. As a result, we need to learn how to adjust on the fly when a child throws us a curveball in a session that doesn’t fit with our treatment plan.
In this recording, I will show you how to use a roadmap to navigate the muddy waters of feeding and learn how to seamlessly move between sensory, motor and behavior strategies to create the best-individualized treatment plan for each child.
Through video case examples, I will show you treatment strategies, and hands-on exercises to gain the knowledge needed to successfully treat feeding difficulties.
You’ll walk away with advanced techniques to:
- Evaluate the causes of mealtime difficulties: behavior, sensory, oral motor, or a combination
- Increase the range of foods, decrease rigidity around mealtimes
- Increase jaw strength and decrease ineffective lip closure, or poor tongue lateralization
- Use deep breathing and proprioceptive input to address self-regulation at the table
- Educate parents and caregivers to promote carryover at home
- Increase self-regulation around feeding
- Increase food play and exploration to increase food acceptance
Don’t miss out! Learn how to put all the pieces together for children with complex feeding issues.
- Articulate the complexities of feeding and the sensory, behavioral and motor factors that play a role in a child’s ability to eat.
- Explore the neurological basis for how and why many feeding aversions develop and continue.
- Connect the misconceptions about feeding and the implications on a child’s feeding experience.
- Differentiate between sensory overload and behaviors to effectively apply treatment strategies.
- Describe which muscles are needed for chewing and swallowing to better identify when dysfunction in the muscle is occurring.
- Implement play approaches to increase types of foods.
- Use various behaviors and sensory techniques to increase regulation at the table.
- Implement oral motor exercises and strategies to promote feeding patterns such as rotary chewing pattern, lip closure, and tongue lateralization.
- Explore the progression of food texture and choice foods that match the sensory and motor skills.
- Demonstrate the use of behavior strategies effectively to increase compliance during therapy.
- Explore unique challenges with various diagnoses such as autism, cerebral palsy and more to modify treatment accordingly.
- Support and guide the parents, caregivers, and other family members through often emotional or stressful mealtimes.
The Complexities of Feeding
- Definition and prevalence – new information; move toward Pediatric Feeding Disorder
- Overlap of sensory processing skills, oral motor skills and behaviors
- Normal developmental key points
- Neurological foundations
- Trauma, feeding and impact on brain
- NICU and medical trauma, NG Tubes, trachotmesty, etc.
- Negative experience around feeding gagging, retching, pain with eating …
Evaluation of Feeding Skills
- Differentiate between sensory overload and behaviors during feeding
- Activity analysis of feeding – Evaluation videos and group analysis
- Information obtained – what questions to ask
- Oral motor evaluation – jaw, lips, tongue strength; range of motion for feeding
- Hands-on draw to learn lab
Sensory Integration Strategies
- Research-backed sensory play-based approach
- Decrease sensory over-responsivity to foods
- Use food exploration/cooking for older kids
- Self-regulation to engage body during feeding
- Core engagement
- Breathing exercises
- Therapeutic use of music
- Heavy work
Oral Motor Skills
- Lab – Oral motor exercises, kineseotaping, stretching
- Children who don’t swallow safely – saliva management, increase swallowing …
Food in Therapy
Taste Lab – Sensory feedback and motor requirement needed for each food texture
- Progression of food texture
- Match food presented in therapy to child’s sensory needs and motor skills
- Nutritional considerations
Behaviors During Mealtimes: Environmental Strategies to Set Children Up for Success
- Manage common mealtime behaviors – throwing foods, not sitting, crying during mealtimes
- Increase cooperation using the “just right challenge”
- Shift between treatment frameworks
- How to use the “feeding roadmap”
Special Considerations
- Autism
- Cerebral Palsy
- Down Syndrome
- Children who don’t eat by mouth/G-Tube
- Medically complex children
Promote Carry-Over At Home
- Educate parents who are stressed and in survival mode
- Help families have realistic expectations
- Easy-to-implement home programs that parents will do
- Help parents to change the relationship between child and food
