Feeding Interventions 

Eating should be an enjoyable experience

Feeding therapy led by an occupational therapist (OT) focuses on helping children who have difficulties with eating—whether it's due to sensory challenges, motor delays, or behavioral issues. The goal is to improve a child’s ability to eat a variety of foods safely and effectively, while making mealtimes more positive for both the child and their caregivers.

🍽️ What Is Feeding Therapy?

Feeding therapy helps children who:

  • Are picky eaters beyond typical development

  • Gag, choke, or vomit with certain textures

  • Have a limited range of accepted foods (often <20 types)

  • Show signs of oral motor weakness (trouble chewing, moving food around)

  • Have difficulty sitting still or attending during meals

  • Experience negative associations with eating (from medical conditions, reflux, or sensory sensitivities)

OTs address the sensory, motor, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence feeding.

Why Would an OT Be Involved in Feeding?

Occupational therapists specialize in daily activities, and eating is one of the most essential “occupations” for children. OTs bring expertise in:

  • Oral motor function (jaw, lip, and tongue strength and coordination)

  • Sensory integration (tolerance to textures, smells, and tastes)

  • Postural control (staying upright and stable during meals)

  • Fine motor skills (using utensils, bringing food to mouth)

  • Self-feeding and independence

We also collaborate with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) or dietitians when needed.

What Happens in an OT-Led Feeding Therapy Session?

Sessions are individualized but often include:

  • Play-based exposure to new foods (touching, smelling, interacting before tasting)

  • Oral motor exercises (e.g., blowing bubbles, chewing tools)

  • Postural adjustments (using supportive seating to improve control)

  • Food chaining (gradually transitioning from preferred to new foods)

  • Sensory activities to regulate responses to textures

  • Parent coaching to carry over techniques at home.  
  • SOS Approach to Feeding (Sequential Oral Sensory): Gradual exposure to new foods through play and exploration. 

✅ Goals of Feeding Therapy

  • Expand food variety and acceptance

  • Improve safety and efficiency of chewing 

  • Reduce stress and anxiety around mealtimes

  • Foster independence and enjoyment of eating

Progress Takes Time

Feeding therapy is a gradual process — think months, not weeks. But the goal is to make sustainable, lasting changes that support your child’s health and happiness around food.

 

SOS Approach to Feeding

A developmental, play-based approach that helps children learn to eat by gradually increasing their comfort level with food — starting with tolerating food in their environment all the way to chewing and swallowing.

This method is grounded in typical developmental steps and addresses not just eating, but all the systems involved in feeding: sensory processing, oral-motor skills, postural control, and even emotional regulation.

🧩 Key Principles of the SOS Approach

1. It’s Not Just About Eating

It recognizes that eating is the most complex thing we do — it involves:

  • Postural skills

  • Fine motor skills

  • Oral-motor skills

  • Sensory regulation

  • Cognitive and emotional readiness

A child might struggle with one or many of these, and SOS addresses them all.

2. Hierarchy of Steps to Eating

This is one of the most important parts! Kids don’t go straight from seeing a food to eating it. — the SOS model, breaks it down like this:

  1. Tolerates being in the room

  2. Looks at the food

  3. Interacts without touching (e.g., using a utensil)

  4. Touches with hands

  5. Brings to face/smells

  6. Touches lips/kisses

  7. Licks

  8. Bites and spits out

  9. Chews and swallows a small piece

  10. Eats typical portions

So if your child licked a strawberry for the first time today — that’s a huge win in SOS terms! 🎉

3. Play-Based and Child-Led

It’s all about reducing pressure and increasing comfort. Kids explore food through:

  • Food games (e.g., making faces or art with it)

  • Pretend play

  • Sensory activities involving food

This builds positive associations with food, even if they’re not ready to eat it yet.

4. Family and Environment Focus

We also work with families, to:

  • Create structured, calm mealtimes

  • Avoid pressure (no “just one bite!” tactics)

  • Use routines to help children feel safe