Feeding Therapy

What is Feeding Therapy?
Feeding therapy sessions are provided once weekly, all the way up to five times weekly, depending on the needs of the individual child. We take a “whole team” approach and incorporate other professionals involved with your child’s development into our treatment plan. Some examples of other professionals that may be involved in the treatment approach include your child’s pediatrician, occupational therapist, nutritionist and behaviorist.
How do I know if my child needs feeding therapy?
Does your child refuse to eat at meal-time? Do they gag, choke or have difficulty swallowing? Is your child severely picky when it comes to eating? Do they struggle with chewing? If you answered yes to any of these questions your child may benefit from feeding therapy.
Feeding Therapy Goals:
In order to ensure the most effective and successful treatment, we begin with an evaluation to determine the best treatment plan for each individual patient. We encourage each child to learn good feeding, drinking and chewing practices at their own pace. We do not force feed. Caregivers are incorporated into therapy sessions in order to ensure that they understand skills targeted during sessions and are able to incorporate them into the home environment. Our ultimate goal is to help your meal-times be enjoyable and to help your child become a successful and confident eater!
SOS – Sequential Oral Sensory
Helping children and families create a healthy, happy, lifelong relationship with food through a Modified SOS Feeding Therapy approach. We introduce your child to wide range of flavors and textures, let your child explore new foods, help them reach developmental milestones, and guide families during meal time.
Many children can struggle with eating challenges during the first years of life. Feeding challenges can be very difficult for families to deal with. Fox Therapy Services feeding team is here to help. With a modified SOS approach to feeding therapy we help children and families learn how eat through a holistic, sensations and play based approach.
Top 10 Ways To Know If Your Child Is In Need Of Feeding Therapy:
- My child refuses to eat foods that are hard to chew like meat or raw fruits and vegetables
- My child tends to cry or fall apart when you put a new food on their plate
- My child has specific brand food preferences or likes to eat the same foods prepared in the same way
- My child eats 20 or less different foods
- My child chokes, gags or coughs during meals
- My child eats meals separate from the family
- My child weighs less than other kids their age
- Meal times are stressful
- My child eats through a tube in their nose or stomach
- My child has been labeled a picky eater more than once
Call Fox Therapy Services to see how our Feeding Team can help your child and your family.
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Frequently Asked Questions
There are many different reasons why a child may need speech therapy. First and foremost, Trust Your Gut!! A parent knows their child best. If you have any concerns I encourage you to seek out the guidance of a speech pathologist.
Your child may need speech therapy if he or she…
• Has not begun to say words by 12 months
• Does not seem to understand questions or directions
• Has speech that is difficult to understand
• Has a diagnosis of autism or other developmental delays
• Does not seem interested in developmentally appropriate play with toys
• Has difficulty interacting socially with peers
• Cannot express themselves using sentences similar to peers
• Has a hearing loss
This is likely the most common question that I am asked by families. While I wish I was able to provide a concrete answer, the reality is that there are too many factors to consider. Every child is different and at Fox Therapy Services we tailor our services to the individual. Some factors that impact the rate at which your child will progress through therapy include, but are not limited to:
Rapport with the therapist: While some kiddos warm up very quickly, others may take several sessions to feel comfortable. Once the therapist and child have established a positive and trusting relationship, therapy sessions are much more impactful.
Behavior: A child’s behavior can greatly influence the rate of progress. While behavior is a means of communication, sometimes behavior challenges need to be addressed before we can work on therapy goals.
Family Involvement and Carryover: At Fox Therapy Services we are huge advocates of family involvement during therapy sessions. The more the family is involved, and the greater the carryover is in the home environment, the more successful your child will be in achieving their goals.
No two kids are the same: Therefore, even two children working on very similar goals will progress at different rates. One week your child will make huge strides and the next week we may see little progress. This is to be expected and is a natural part of the process.
Children differ vary in their development of language. There is, however, a natural progression or “timetable” for mastery of skills.
Different sounds develop at different ages. If your child is not able to produce certain sounds (articulation disorder) by a specific age they may need speech therapy.
It is also important to consider your child’s overall speech intelligibility (the percentage of your child’s speech that a listener can understand).
Age | Intelligibility |
---|---|
18 months | 25% |
2 yrs. | 50-70% |
3 yrs. | 80% |
4+ yrs. | 90-100% |
We see clients in our private clinic.
Fox Therapy Services is currently in-network with Cigna, United Healthcare, Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser, Healthnet, Tri-Care and Blue Shield of California. You are responsible to pay Fox Therapy Services for any co-pay, co-insurance or deductible payment if your insurance is in-network. If your insurance company denies coverage or payment for the service provided, you are responsible for the full amount due.
If Fox Therapy Services is an out-of-network provider for your insurance plan, you are billed directly at the time of services and responsible for all charges. Fox Therapy Services will be happy to provide you with a Superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
We take Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Kaiser, Tri-Care, Healthnet and United Health Care.