Feeding Therapy
Learning for Life proudly offers assessment and therapy services for little ones (and big ones!) who are having difficulties in their feeding.
Difficulties in feeding might mean - difficulties trying new foods, a limited number of foods tried or taken, difficulty with the physical process of eating (chewing, swallowing, etc) or perhaps just having inconsistent or challenging behaviours around mealtimes. Our speech pathologist, Emily Meagher, is a certified SOS Feeding Therapist and has pursued additional trainings to support her clinical practice.
Feeding starts early with breast and bottle feeding being the primary sources of nutrition in the first 6 months of life. Emily is also a Neurodevelopmental Care (NDC) Practitioner, trained under the Possums Program, and supports new families who are having difficulty with early feeding.
Our staff are passionate about educating parents and caregivers on how they can best support and enrich their family’s mealtime and feeding environments and utilise SOS and other therapeutic interventions to make food fun, enjoyable, safe and an enriching experience for your kiddo.
We recommend watching this free workshop for Parents and Caregivers which may offer some clarity and understanding around feeding difficulties.
A Team Based Approach
Learning for Life is passionate about using the knowledge and skill of ALL team members to best support each child’s feeding journey.
This means we will be working closely with everyone on the kiddo’s team and this will, first and foremost, include the family. As parents, no one knows your child better than you! Our job is to provide you with the tools and techniques to best support your child. You know your child, we know feeding!
Your child’s team might also include other caregivers, medical professionals (GPs, Child Health Nurses, ENTs, GI specialists etc), allied health professionals (Occupational therapy, dietetics, psychology and counselling services) and other people who are important within the child’s life (daycare staff, nannies, extended family members etc).
It’s through working together that we can create meaningful and long lasting change for our families.