At Speech & Occupational Therapy of North Texas, our speech-language pathologists provide specialized therapy for children with feeding and swallowing disorders. These challenges can affect a child’s nutrition, growth, safety, and overall quality of life.
What Are Feeding and Swallowing Disorders?
Feeding and swallowing disorders involve difficulty with:
- Chewing food
- Moving food in the mouth
- Swallowing safely
- Transitioning to different textures
- Tolerating a variety of foods
Children may experience challenges at any stage of eating, from bottle feeding to table foods.
Examples of Feeding and Swallowing Difficulties
A child may:
- Gag or choke while eating
- Cough during meals
- Refuse certain textures
- Be extremely picky
- Take a long time to finish meals
- Pocket food in their cheeks
- Have poor weight gain
- Show signs of distress during meals
- Experience frequent respiratory illnesses
These difficulties may be related to:
- Prematurity
- Developmental delays
- Sensory processing differences
- Oral motor weakness
- Medical conditions
- Reflux
How Speech Therapy Helps
Our therapists complete a comprehensive feeding and swallowing evaluation to assess:
- Oral motor skills
- Swallow safety
- Sensory responses
- Mealtime behaviors
- Feeding history
Therapy May Focus On:
✔ Strengthening oral muscles
✔ Improving chewing skills
✔ Expanding food repertoire
✔ Increasing tolerance to textures
✔ Teaching safe swallowing strategies
✔ Creating positive mealtime routines
✔ Parent coaching and education
Evidence-Based Treatment Approach
We use child-friendly, evidence-based methods, including:
- Play-based food exploration
- Desensitization strategies
- Oral motor exercise
- Food chaining
- Sensory-based feeding therapy
Safety is always our top priority.
Benefits of Feeding Therapy
Speech therapy can help children:
✔ Eat a wider variety of foods
✔ Improve nutrition
✔ Gain weight appropriately
✔ Reduce mealtime stress
✔ Eat more safely
✔ Develop lifelong healthy eating habits
