Atlanta Feeding Therapy
At Talk About Therapy, we pride ourselves in specializing in a variety of pediatric feeding therapy and swallowing interventions to help our children and families in the Atlanta area. Please read on to learn more about feeding and swallowing difficulties, how they can affect your children, and how we can help:
What is feeding therapy? How can Talk About Therapy help?
Pediatric feeding therapy can address many challenges that you face, like breastfeeding issues, nipple pain while breastfeeding, and other breastfeeding problems that you and your child face, such as increasing oral intake, food aversions, strengthening the oral motor muscles, and moving from tube feeding to oral intake. Pediatric feeding therapy and feeding therapy for babies typically takes place during mealtime. We work directly with the parent during mealtime to ensure the family is also learning the therapeutic techniques as we implement them. At Talk About Therapy, we pride ourselves in involving our families to help create customized goals for our children. We will sit down with you to discuss what outcomes you hope to see from your child, and help you implement techniques and strategies for life-long success.
How do I know if my child is presenting with feeding difficulty?
Here are
- Slow or decreased weight gain
- Signs of distress, such as frustration or increased breathing during mealtime
- Coughing
- Tethered oral tissue (Tongue and/or Lip Ties, also known as Ankyloglossia)
For more on how to identify a tongue tie or lip tie, click here.
If breastfeeding hurts, or if you are experiencing other breastfeeding difficulties or baby bottle feeding issues:
- For issues that may be related to tongue tie or lip tie baby bottle feeding issues, refer to our tongue and lip tie therapy services
- Decreased bowel movements
- Wet, gurgly cries and breaths
Here are some signs that your child or toddler (ages 1+) might be having feeding difficulties and could benefit from pediatric feeding therapy and feeding therapy for babies:
- Frequent gagging
- Arching of back prior to or during mealtime
- Frustration during mealtime
- Food refusal
- Food aversion
- Difficulty accepting new textures
- Prolonged feeding time (should take approximately 30 minutes)
- Reflux and Colic-like symptoms
- Anxiety prior to meal time
- Stuffing/Pocketing of food
- Frequent vomiting and gagging when food is presented or after trying foods
- Difficulty with age-appropriate foods
We have the skills and tools necessary to perform an in-depth evaluation to directly address the underlying causes behind any of these challenges your child may be facing. All of our therapists are certified in the Beckman Oral Motor approach to address oral-motor challenges and are trained to provide feeding therapy for sensory-related difficulties such as Autism. Visit us for specialized pediatric feeding therapy, feeding therapy for babies, feeding therapy Autism, and pediatric intensive feeding programs.