What is feeding thearpy?

Feeding and swallowing therapy is a specialized form of therapy that focuses on addressing difficulties and challenges related to eating, feeding, and swallowing. It is typically provided by occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, or other professionals trained in this area. As we navigate through our developmental years, we gradually learn how to utilize various parts of our body, including our limbs and muscles, to perform essential tasks like walking, throwing, and crawling. However, among all the muscles, the most challenging to control and utilize effectively is the complex set of oral motor muscles within the mouth.

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Children may have difficulties in oral motor control and feeding, leading them to develop compensatory strategies that can be detrimental to their safety and overall health. Without proper control and coordination of these muscles, individuals may struggle with chewing, swallowing, or managing different textures and tastes of food, which can result in inadequate nutrition, stress during mealtimes, vomiting's, aspiration, choking, a negative relationship with food, and potential health risks.

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Often times adults are unaware of the many different factors that can affect what we think is a simple mealtime. The environment, the seating, the presentation of the food, the warm up activities for the body and the face, and even the clothes that are being worn during feeding can affect the feeding and mealtime experience. Additionally, within the oral area the tongue, cheeks, lips, nose, throat, neck and stomach all play a part in the successful act of eating a meal. Parents often stress about growth charts, how much nutrition is being consumed, and the timing and amount of food for each child is stressed over and over by healthcare professionals. Yes these are important aspects of feeding and development; however, the stress response that is often felt by parents and children during mealtimes can be a primary contributor to difficult mealtimes. No judgement will occur here at SpiseTid, no question is wrong, and learning together as a family how to enjoy mealtime again.