How Can Speech Therapists Help Young Picky Eaters?

Did you know that some speech therapists are also feeding specialists too?

Yes, that’s right. Speech-language pathologists are also trained in infant and child feeding development.

Some speech-language therapists train additionally in hospitals and clinics to become experts in childhood and/or adult feeding differences.

I have personally gained experience treating infants and young children in hospitals, clinics, as well as within their home environments. I often treat infants and young children when they are experiencing feeding challenges.

A feeding therapist can work closely with your child’s medical doctor and team to ensure that safe and appropriate textures are being provided during mealtime.

How do you know if your child is having feeding difficulties?

It is important to seek medical guidance as well as obtaining an assessment from a speech-language pathologist – who is a trained feeding specialist with the appropriate training and experience in treating feeding difficulties.

Feeding challenges can result from many different causes which is why it is so important to get assessed by a licensed speech-language pathologist following medical clearance from your child’s medical doctor and team.

Ongoing, your child’s pediatrician should also be an integral part of the team.

Feeding difficulties in infants and children can arise from many different reasons such as: an underlying medical diagnosis, structural differences, a muscle weakness, imbalance, asymmetry or motor coordination challenges – to name just a few possible underlying factors.

Feeding differences can also arise from sensitivities to certain tastes, textures, temperatures or tastes.

A child may also experience a combination of both motor and sensory differences, which can result in challenges with certain textures or transitioning to more advanced food textures.

In my practice, I frequently treat children who experience difficulty transitioning through the feeding hierarchy.

I also see children who experience food texture sensitives that may experience challenges around certain textures, tastes, temperatures.

These issues can be either muscular or structural in nature or sensory based (or a combination of both motoric and sensory challenges.)

This is why it is critical to have an experienced speech-language pathologist who has a background in treating children with feeding difficulties assess a child’s feeding behaviors and meal time experiences to determine the root cause of the issue – and then address it.

An experienced feeding specialist can help implement a treatment plan that will address and target the root condition of your child’s feeding challenges.

As examples to consider, a child may experience difficulty bottle feeding due to reduced lip rounding, or possibly reduced strength of the suck, or maybe because of a reduced ability to coordinate a suck-swallow-breathe pattern.

A young child may experience difficulty moving from bottle feeding to a pureed diet if they are experiencing textural, taste or temperature sensitivities.

A child may also experience challenges when transitioning from soft pureed foods to harder solids due to either muscular or sensory differences, or a combination of both.

A child may resist consuming harder textures like chicken and vegetables if they lack the motoric ability and muscular strength to chew these harder solids.

Conversely, a child may avoid pureed foods, or mixed textured meals (think chicken soup or rice and mixed vegetables) if they are sensitive to certain textures.

How do we treat these feeding difficulties?

Working under the guidance of a trained speech-language pathologist can be an absolute game-changer for you and your child – if they are experiencing any type of feeding challenges.

After receiving medical clearance from your child’s doctor, our highly-trained feeding specialists will assess your child’s feeding abilities.

What does a feeding assessment by a speech-language pathologist involve?

We ask the parents and caregivers – to bring in a variety of food textures including:

pureed foods (mashed potatoes)
coarse pureed foods (oatmeal)
soft solids (soft chicken pieces)
harder solids (fruits and vegetables)
mixed textures (chicken & rice, oatmeal & fruit)

We also ask the parents and caregivers to bring in a variety of utensils and feeding tools that are being used currently during mealtime:

bottles and nipples
bowls & plates
open cups & straw cups
spoons & forks

The speech-language pathologist participates in mealtime with the child, parents and caregivers, while providing a clinical eye.

Depending on the age of the child the feeding specialist will assess the following during mealtimes:

How the child is managing bottle feeding.

How the child tolerates spoon feeding.

How the child feeds themselve.

How the child drinks from a cup.

How the child drinks from a straw cup.

Once the assessment is complete the feeding specialist can develop a treatment plan which may involve weekly treatment sessions, that help the child participate in mealtime in a successful and safe manner.

Also, a home exercise plan may be constructed to strengthen the child’s oral muscles (lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw.)

Parents and caregivers may be given specific guidance on different textures, temperatures, tastes to introduce safely – step-by-step using a structured hierarchy – under the guidance of a licensed speech-language pathologist and feeding specialist.

As the speech-language pathologist, child and family work together on a weekly basis as a team – I have personally seen amazing strides in a child’s ability to safely consume a variety of textures within my own private practice.

If your child is experiencing feeding difficulties please don’t hesitate to reach out to a feeding specialist. We can help mealtime become an enjoyable time for your child and whole family.

Chatty Child’s experienced speech-language pathologists provide holistic feeding therapy both in-person and on-line across all of New York State.

To book an in-person or online speech therapy assessment and treatment sessions with Heather Lynn Boerner, MA CCC/SLP, please visit our website at: www.chattychild.com; email: info@chattychild.com; or call: 347 491 4451

Sincerely,

Heather Lynn Boerner, MA CCC/SLP

Meet the Author: A Pediatric Speech Therapist in NYC

Heather Lynn Boerner, MA CCC/SLP, is a nationally certified and New York State licensed speech-language pathologist with over two decades of experience providing pediatric speech therapy in NYC. In addition to her clinical background, Heather is a certified mindfulness and meditation teacher, a trauma-informed provider, and a proud neurodiverse and differently-abled individual. Her personal and professional experiences deeply inform her approach to care.

Heather’s own journey as a differently-abled person led her to establish Chatty Child Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy, PLLC, an inclusive practice dedicated to empowering children through individualized, compassionate support. She is also the author of Carrie the Colorful Chameleon, a children’s book that promotes confidence, learning, and friendship. The story includes a teaching guide designed for use by parents and educators alike.

Heather and her team offer services both in-person at their Tribeca, Manhattan clinic and virtually throughout New York State, helping children grow in confidence, communication, and self-expression.

Chatty Child Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy, PLLC

Creating Possibilities .. one child at a time ..

Chatty Child Provides Pediatric Speech & Occupational Therapy & Classes in Tribeca, Manhattan, NYC – In Person at 325 Broadway Suite 403 New York, NY 10007 & serving the entire state of New York including: NYC, Westchester, Hudson Valley, Long Island via online therapy in New York State.