With April being Autism Awareness Month, it’s a good time to highlight important methods for the development of a child with autism.
One of those is feeding therapy.
Rose Britt, registered dietitian at Metro EHS, said there are three important questions when it comes to feeding therapy.
1. What exactly is feeding therapy?
Feeding therapy provides benefits to children who may be struggling with a pediatric feeding disorder.
Britt said feeding therapy can be provided by a speech language pathologist and/or an occupational therapist, with input from a registered dietician, physical therapist or mental health professional.
She added that feeding therapy can help children who:
- Aren’t eating an age-appropriate texture of food.
- Aren’t eating enough food or failing to gain weight.
- Are struggling with breast or bottle feeding.
- Are dependent on a tube or formula.
- Are picky eaters.
- Have rigid food choices (colors or brands).
- Are missing entire food groups from their diet.
“Each child and family are evaluated individually to pinpoint areas of concern and determine a treatment plan,” Britt said. “The goal of therapy is to help the child develop a normal, efficient feeding pattern and behaviors.”
2. Why is feeding therapy important to a child’s development?
Britt said not only is feeding important to a child’s development from a nutrition and growth perspective, but socially, as well.
“Good nutrition is important for functioning in school, maintaining a healthy weight and preventing chronic disease,” she said. “When feeding is challenging, it can take a toll on the whole family, as children need to be fed multiple times daily. Getting to the root of the feeding difficulty can help reduce mealtimes, improve volumes of food the child is eating, and improve family enjoyment of mealtimes.”
3. What are the best practices of feeding therapy?
Britt said a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to feeding therapy is the best practice.
“Assessing the child and family with multiple professionals involved ensures that a correct diagnosis and effective treatment plan can be established,” she said. “Including the family as part of the treatment team ensures that change is happening at home (where it is most important) and not just in therapy sessions.”
Visit this website for more information on feeding therapy or to schedule an appointment for your child.