The Center for Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, Paterson, NJ www.feedingcenter.org Video examples: Clip 1 shows the client using his lips to help transport (not using tongue as retracted). clip 1 Clip 2 shows good chin support and getting on tongue with spoon. clip 2 Keep Reading >>
The Whys and Hows of Treating the Retracted Tongue
Written by: The Center for Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, Paterson, NJ www.feedingcenter.org Failure to advance texture is a very common feeding problem for many children. Successful advancement of texture is dependent on the ability to move the tongue freely and fluidly throughout the oral cavity while the jaw remains stable. Keep Reading >>
Feeding Therapy: The Benefits of Working Closely with Parents and Establishing a Home Program
Most therapists would agree that one of the markers of success in feeding therapy is when a parent or caregiver can successfully feed their child. I would add that it is our job as feeding therapists to not only work with the child but to also work closely with the caregivers. Specifically, to empower caregivers and parents with the skills needed to successfully feed their children and to support Keep Reading >>
Ideas for Transitioning off of a G-tube
When a child is referred for feeding therapy to transition off of a feeding tube, what is the best intervention strategy? The best answer is the one that works in the most efficient way possible! In all honesty, there is no standard approach to transitioning off of a feeding tube. There are many different approaches that range from: reducing tube feeding volumes to encourage Keep Reading >>
Lessons from the Best: Supporting Your Fellow Therapists by Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP
When Krisi asked me to write something for her blog about feeding therapy, I thought about all the various aspects of helping kids to eat: the physiological and/or medical concerns, the sensory piece, the motor skills and the learned behaviors. But what keeps popping into my head are the lessons I learned from many expert clinicians, like Krisi. (She’s turning red right now, but let me Keep Reading >>
Working on Cup Drinking: The Benefits of Using an Open Cup
When it is time to start working on cup drinking, I typically start with an open cup. Every child's situation is unique and must be considered individually when making the decision about which cup to use. These are typical scenarios where an open cup may be beneficial: The child refuses the cup and is solely dependent on bottle or breast feeding. The child will drink water in Keep Reading >>
Bottle or Breast Feeding Dependence and Transitioning to a Cup
Cup Transition For most children, the recommendation to transition from the bottle to cup is typically around 1 year. Prolonged bottle use can cause: tooth decay or bite malformation may encourage your child to drink much more milk than he needs may find it hard to Keep Reading >>
GI Issues that interfere with successful feeding: How to recognize the symptoms
There are many reasons that infants and children develop feeding problems. Many of these children have a history of prematurity, neurological dysfunction, respiratory issues, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and learned patterns of behavior as well as other issues. Research supports that a significant number of children have feeding difficulty related to their GI dysfunction. Hyman PE. Keep Reading >>