Feeding Support That Builds Confidence at Mealtimes
If you have concerns about picky eating, delayed solid food introduction, or feeding challenges related to prematurity, tube feeding, or other medical needs, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate it on your own. Our skilled speech therapists partner with families to support safe, positive, and enjoyable feeding experiences.
From exploring new foods to developing utensil use and mealtime independence, therapy at LEAPS is gentle, individualized, and focused on your child’s unique needs. Together, we help children build skills, confidence, and comfort at the table—one bite at a time.
Feeding Therapy
At LEAPS Therapy Clinic, an occupational therapist or a speech therapist can evaluate your child, formulate a plan, and establish goals to help meet your family’s feeding needs.
Feeding difficulties can happen in any child, but are more likely to occur in those born prematurely, diagnosed with failure to thrive, autism, have a feeding tube, and others. Or your child could be a picky eater who could benefit from positive experiences around mealtimes. Feeding therapy assists those who have difficulties with the physical act of eating or swallowing. Our therapists work with your family and your child to improve the motor, sensory, and physical barriers to increase your child’s ability to safely eat the least restrictive diet possible. We want to help your child make mealtimes fun!
During infancy, babies can show signs of feeding issues by refusing bottles or the breast, difficulty holding liquids in their mouth, swallowing difficulties, and/or gagging, coughing, and choking. As they get older and start to experiment with different foods, children might show difficulties in self-feeding, chewing, holding food in their mouth, or holding utensils and cups. Children can show behaviors around mealtimes, eat few varieties of foods, show slow physical growth, and/or weight gain. Some children might experience aversions to different types of textures or foods and only have very few preferred foods.
Our speech therapists at LEAPS Therapy Clinic can assist your child with these feeding issues. They can evaluate and treat your child to help support your family’s feeding goals. Our therapists can provide oral motor exercises to increase strength and range of motion of the tongue, jaw, and cheeks. They can increase fine and gross motor skills in the arms to help your child hold utensils and have an appropriate posture for safe feeding. They can increase coordination in your child to address chewing, swallowing, and more. Our therapists can also address the sensory difficulties your child might be experiencing to help increase the variety and textures of foods to help expand their diet. In addition, our therapists can help to build a child-led plan and strategies to use at home to decrease anxiety and increase enjoyment around mealtimes.
If you would like one of our therapists to evaluate your child for feeding therapy, please speak to your child’s pediatrician for a referral. Once our office receives this referral, we can get your child on the path to building confidence around mealtimes.
If mealtimes are a concern, we can help! Call LEAPS Therapy Clinic at (205) 884-7621 today to learn how our feeding therapy services can support your child.
