| Services - Feeding Therapy
When a child has feeding difficulties, parents often end up emotionally charged, confused, and overwhelmed because mealtimes have become ultimately unsuccessful. Know that you can look to Milestones as your resource for for all feeding difficulties. Most parents have tried everything from coaxing, bribery, entertainment, and ignoring the child during meal times to switching bottles, nipples, cups, texture of foods, and straws. Not only does the food continue to go untouched but all of these efforts seem futile. This is where the feeding journey begins - when parents, physicians, and feeding specialists team up to negotiate the treatment options and services that will best fit the needs of each individual child.
Discomfort during mealtimes can be communicated in a multitude of ways. A child may gag at the sight of food, vomit in response to the offer of certain foods, refuse to go to the table, or scream when parents attempt to put them in the high chair. Their response to mealtimes and food can often develop into “negative behaviors” which they use to protect and take care of themselves during stressful situations such as eating. At Milestones Children’s Therapy a child is seen by a Speech Language Pathologist and Occupational Therapist who treat the child by taking into account emotions, behaviors, ongoing medical issues, physical coordination, and oral motor and sensory processing skills effecting mealtimes. Not only do we evaluate and treat the behavioral component, we develop the foundational skills necessary for each child to feel confident and comfortable during meal times.
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