Feeding & Swallowing Therapy
Speaking of Speech treats infants through adults with feeding and swallowing disorders.
Infant Feeding Disorders · Sensory Aversions · Oral Motor Deficits · Picky Eating · Dysphagia · Stroke Recovery · Neurological Impairments
Evaluations
In order to support you on your journey to safe and nutritious feedings, we will begin by completing a comprehensive evaluation. Our team will assess both sensory and motor skills required for feeding and swallowing, and we will perform a structural evaluation to identify tongue and lip ties.
Signs and symptoms of a feeding disorder include:
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Breastfeeding challenges
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Difficulty transitioning from breast to bottle, or from milk to solid foods
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Coughing, gagging, or choking during or after a feeding
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Difficulty tolerating or managing a variety of food textures
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Aspiration
Following the evaluation, we will share our recommendations for therapy and provide referrals to other professionals as needed.
Feeding & Swallowing Therapy
At Speaking of Speech, our goal is to reduce the stress of feeding so that you and your family can enjoy mealtimes together.
For infants, we support safe and nutritious feeding by establishing breast or bottle feeding. We also help them develop the motor skills needed to transfer milk more effectively and get full feedings.
For adults, we treat swallowing difficulties that arise after a stroke or other neurological impairment. Whether we focus on exercises or modifications, it is our goal to help you or your loved one safely enjoy mealtimes.
Feeding therapy is also effective in addressing picky eating. Picky eating is often a symptom of a sensory-motor oral deficit, so we treat the root cause of the issue through a combination of sensory, motor, and behavioral approaches.
In every case, Speaking of Speech collaborates with parents and other professionals to get the best results in feeding therapy. We work alongside doctors, dentists, lactation consultants, IBCLCs, and chiropractors to provide holistic treatment.