Pediatric Feeding Therapy

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Helping children build the skills, confidence, and comfort they need to eat and participate in mealtimes.

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Feeding is much more than simply getting food from the plate to the mouth. Eating requires the coordination of sensory processing, oral motor skills, posture, motor planning, attention, self-regulation, and the ability to interact with different foods and textures.

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At Oral Posture, pediatric feeding therapy is provided by an Occupational Therapist (OT) who takes a whole-child approach to understanding what may be making mealtimes difficult.

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We provide in-person pediatric feeding therapy in Escondido, California, serving families throughout North County San Diego and the greater San Diego area. Telehealth services are also available for families outside our immediate area when appropriate.

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What Is Pediatric Feeding Therapy?

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At Oral Posture, we take a comprehensive approach to pediatric feeding therapy. Our Occupational Therapist is also trained in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT), allowing her to incorporate appropriate orofacial myofunctional techniques directly into feeding therapy when they are relevant to a child's individual needs.

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Feeding relies on the coordinated function of the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw, as well as sensory processing, motor coordination, posture, and regulation. By incorporating OMT techniques into feeding therapy, we can address these underlying oral functions while simultaneously working on functional feeding skills.

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Depending on your child's needs, therapy may incorporate techniques that support:

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• Tongue mobility and coordination

• Tongue resting posture

• Lip closure and strength

• Cheek and jaw function

• Oral sensory awareness

• Chewing and food manipulation

• Oral motor coordination

• Nasal breathing and oral rest posture

• Overall orofacial muscle coordination 
   

This integrated approach allows us to look beyond the immediate feeding concern and consider how the function of the oral structures may be contributing to your child's feeding skills.

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By addressing these areas together, we can provide a more comprehensive approach to treatment and may help children progress more efficiently toward their individual feeding goals. Every child is different, and the pace of progress will depend on their unique needs, abilities, and goals.

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What Can Pediatric Feeding Therapy Help With?

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Your child does not have to have a formal diagnosis to benefit from an evaluation. We can help identify areas that may be making feeding more challenging and determine whether therapy is appropriate.

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We work with children experiencing:

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• Picky or selective eating

• Very limited food variety

• Difficulty trying new foods

• Strong food preferences based on texture, temperature, color, smell, or appearance

• Difficulty chewing

• Difficulty moving food around the mouth

• Difficulty managing different food textures

• Difficulty drinking from cups or straws

• Difficulty using utensils

• Food falling out of the mouth

• Prolonged mealtimes

• Gagging or strong reactions to certain foods

• Oral sensory sensitivities

• Difficulty remaining regulated during meals

• Difficulty sitting and participating in mealtimes

• Difficulty with self-feeding

• Developmental delays affecting feeding skills

• Stress or frustration surrounding meals

These concerns can reflect differences in oral sensory processing, oral motor skills, motor coordination, sensory regulation, or other developmental factors.

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Feeding Is a Complex Skill.

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Eating requires many systems to work together.

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A child must be able to:

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See and interact with food
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Tolerate its smell, appearance, texture, and temperature
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Bring food to the mouth
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Use the lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw effectively
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Chew and manipulate food
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Coordinate swallowing
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Remain regulated and engaged throughout the meal

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When one part of this process is difficult, it can affect the child's overall feeding experience.

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For example, a child who has difficulty coordinating tongue movement may struggle to move food efficiently. A child with sensory sensitivities may have difficulty tolerating certain textures. A child with reduced postural stability or motor coordination may have difficulty maintaining the position needed for successful self-feeding.

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Our goal is to understand why feeding is difficult for your child, rather than simply focusing on getting them to eat a particular food.

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How an Occupational Therapist Can Help.

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At Oral Posture, our Occupational Therapist evaluates feeding within the context of the child's overall development and daily routines.

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Depending on your child's needs, an evaluation may look at:

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Oral Motor Skills

The movements and coordination of the lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw that support eating, chewing, and drinking.

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Oral Sensory Processing

How your child experiences and responds to sensations inside and around the mouth, including textures, temperatures, tastes, smells, and food characteristics.

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Chewing & Food Management

How your child bites, chews, moves food through the mouth, and prepares food for swallowing.

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Self-Feeding Skills

Using spoons, forks, cups, straws, and other feeding tools independently.

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Sensory Regulation

How your child's nervous system responds to sensory information and how this may affect their ability to remain comfortable and engaged during meals.

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Posture & Positioning

The child's positioning and stability during meals, including how posture may affect participation and feeding skills.

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Mealtime Routines

The environment, routines, expectations, and interactions surrounding meals.

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Developmental Skills

Whether your child's feeding skills are developing in a way that is appropriate for their developmental stage.

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Occupational therapy can support children in participating more successfully in family and school mealtimes, using utensils, drinking, trying foods, and developing feeding skills.

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A Whole-Child Approach to Feeding.

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At Oral Posture, we recognize that feeding does not happen in isolation.

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A child's feeding experience can be influenced by their sensory system, motor development, oral function, posture, communication, environment, and previous experiences with food.

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Our approach is therefore individualized. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all feeding program, we first work to understand your child's strengths and challenges and then develop goals that are meaningful for your family.

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Depending on your child's needs, therapy may incorporate sensory-motor activities, oral motor skill development, functional feeding practice, self-feeding skills, caregiver education, and strategies that can be incorporated into everyday mealtimes.

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We also believe that feeding therapy should support a positive relationship with food and mealtimes. Therapy is not about forcing a child to eat. It is about helping children develop the skills and confidence needed to participate in feeding successfully.

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Pediatric Feeding Therapy & Oral Function.

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Because Oral Posture also provides Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, we have a particular interest in the relationship between oral function and feeding development.

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The tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw all contribute to eating and drinking. Feeding also requires coordinated movement and sensory processing within the mouth.

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Our OT and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy services are separate specialties, but when appropriate, they can complement one another.

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If an evaluation suggests that your child's feeding concerns may benefit from additional assessment or care from another provider—such as a speech-language pathologist, pediatrician, dentist, ENT, dietitian, or other specialist—we can help coordinate care and make recommendations as appropriate.

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Pediatric feeding difficulties can involve multiple contributing factors, which is why collaboration between professionals is often important.