Questions to Ask a Feeding Therapist
The right speech therapist or feeding team evaluation can be incredibly helpful, but a poor fit can
slow down your child’s progress with eating. As one mom said, “Bad therapy is worse than no
therapy.” If you are experiencing challenges, identifying your child’s baseline skills with eating,
including chewing and tongue lateralization (the ability to move food from the front teeth to the
sides and place in the correct position for chewing with molars), can help you provide foods that
are safe, help your child progress with her eating, and help you feel confident and supported at
home. Here are a few questions to think about as you look for the right help for your family,
which may or may not include formal therapy. Remember to trust your gut. If what your
therapist is asking you to do increases conflict or anxiety at the table, leads to more gagging or
vomiting, it is likely to make matters worse, not better.
Qualifications/training:
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How long have you worked with feeding specifically?
Have you completed your training and are you licensed? (I added this to the list after
reading about a feeding clinic staffed entirely by OT students.)
What extra training or certification do you have with feeding?
Are you aware of the Trust Model of feeding, the Division of Responsibility,
or Responsive Feeding?
Are you aware of the “Get Permission” approach from Marsha Dunn Klein? (Dunn Klein
is a pediatric occupational therapist, author, and founder of Meal-time Notions.)
Were you exposed to a variety of feeding therapy approaches in your training? Tell me about your training in feeding therapy? (There is no standard training or
certification outside of the state of California.)
Treatment Philosophies:
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How do you help families integrate your advice in the home?
Will you separate me from my child or ask me to use my attention or lack thereof to
motivate my child to eat?
What do you consider “successful” treatment? What criteria determine when treatment is
“over?”
What resources do you recommend?
What can you offer if “therapy” meals or other suggested techniques result in conflict or
a power struggle?
Do you show disapproval or hold food in front of the child’s mouth until she gives in?
Do you use external rewards like stickers or toys to motivate my child to eat?
Can I observe a treatment session or watch a video?
Adapted from Rowell’s book Love Me, Feed Me. Chapter 3 focuses in detail on feeding challenges,
sensory issues, and how to find the right help for your family. Chapter 4 goes into supporting eating in the
home, or if your child has “failed” feeding therapies…
Katja Rowell M.D. 2012
www.thefeedingdoctor.com