SERVICES
Occupational Therapy
Feeding Clinic
Has mealtime for your family become stressful? Is your child picky about their food for reasons you don't quite understand? Our pediatric feeding clinic is an extension of specialized occupational therapy services at Bright Star Counselling, aimed at supporting infants and children who have motor skill issues, neurodivergence, and any difficulty with eating, drinking, or swallowing.
How It Works
Our pediatric occupational therapist Brittney is trained in sensory feeding and implements the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach developed by Dr. Kay Toomey. This approach is centred on the foundation of using the theory of sensory integration, analyzing behaviours, assessing a child’s cognition level, and considering environmental factors that hinder successful feeding habits. The overall approach is based on the principle of exploring and trying new foods with the concept that range will lead to volume.
Our pediatric OT helps children develop the physical, sensory, and behavioural skills needed for safe and successful feeding. The feeding program addresses challenges such as:
Picky Eating: Our pediatric OT can help your child explore new foods and textures to add to their food repertoire.
Oral-motor Delays: examples include gagging, difficulty moving the tongue while eating, or refusal to eat.
Sensory Sensitivities: Our pediatric OT will help your child explore the variety of ways in which each one of our sensory systems reacts or overreacts to food.
Difficulty in Transitions: for new textures, smells, and flavours of food and drink, which vary in picky eaters and children with autism/neurodivergence.
Medical/Developmental Conditions: these can affect the way a child views and chooses to eat their food. For example, some children will eat only one colour scheme of foods or certain shapes of foods. Some children may seek potent foods such as a spicy chip with no reaction, or have an aversion to yogurt or any form of puree that touches their hands or mouth.
Using play-based, child-centred approaches, our pediatric occupational therapist works closely with families to create individualized strategies that promote healthy nutrition, positive mealtime experiences, and increased independence.
Costs & Dates
The cost of our feeding clinic is the same as our occupational therapy service. Costs are covered by AFU and extended health benefits.
Please note the program only runs on Tuesdays afternoons, however all children under age 10 are welcome. All kinds of foods are provided in this fun and supportive clinic.