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Infant Toddler Feeding Program
This unique, comprehensive Infant Toddler Feeding Program:
- Uses a multidisciplinary team
- Serves infants, toddlers and preschool age children with feeding problems or challenges and their families
- Provides state-of-the-art services to young children with feeding difficulties
- Provides feeding assessment, consultation, and ongoing intervention/therapy
- Is comprehensive, individualized, and includes case coordination
Program Need
Research shows nearly one-third of all children with a developmental disability will experience significant feeding problems that interfere with nutrition, social integration and medical well-being. With services ranging from assessment, consultation, and ongoing intervention therapies to case coordination, the Infant Toddler Feeding Program helps children overcome issues like severe reflux, problems with chewing and swallowing, and dependence on tube-feeding for nourishment.
The underlying causes of feeding disorders are often complex and difficult to discern but it is known that children with autism spectrum disorders, prematurity, immune deficiencies, cerebral palsy and many other medical issues are at risk for feeding difficulties. There are other contributing factors as well including children with a wide range of social/emotional challenges.
Parents can be overwhelmed when dealing with a child who is not able to eat and failing to grow properly, often seeing a multitude of specialists with no one to coordinate their care and pull all the pieces together.
Professional Team
The Infant Toddler Feeding Program brings together developmental pediatricians, occupational and speech therapists, psychologists, and specialists in infant mental health and pediatric nutrition, depending on each child’s situation. This case coordination becomes critical with so many experts coming in and out of the child’s life. In addition, support and resources are provided to the whole family, as many parents are looking for answers surrounding their child’s overall development.
Services
Depending on the need, several service options are available:
- Initial phone consult and record review
- Feeding specialist home visit and consultation: assessment, consultation, therapy, and/or support to the family
- Feeding team consultation: case presentation and consultation by the full team
- Medical record review and follow-up by developmental pediatrician
- Comprehensive Infant Toddler Feeding Team assessment: child and family are seen by the entire team, includes recommendations and follow-up
For more information please contact a feeding program coordinator at (602) 468-3430 or by email at vhackett@swhd.org or sraymond@swhd.org.
The Infant Toddler Feeding Program is proudly supported by:
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