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Overview |
Staff |
Clinical Program |
Referrals
Feeding assessments are conducted by a multidisciplinary
team of specialists and frequently occur in the therapeutic kitchen
within the Rehabilitation Department (5F). This home-like
setting allows for the presentation of both heated and
chilled foods.
Parents are first asked to feed their child to promote a
level of comfort and to allow for observation of feeding
interactions between the parent and child. As the child
becomes more comfortable with the clinician's presence, the
therapist assists with feeding to gather more specific
information and to try a variety of techniques.
We ask parents to supply their own familiar foods and
utensils from home. They are encouraged to bring foods that
their child enjoys, as well as foods that are avoided or
cause negative reactions. We may offer special eating
utensils if we think that difficulties are related to
utensil use.
Each discipline involved in the assessment contributes to an
integrated report with specific recommendations. The
recommendations may result both from direct assessment and
from a team discussion. All recommendations are shared with
the family and with the referring physician. We provide
specific instruction on any techniques recommended.
We encourage families to invite other service providers to
the assessment (i.e. teachers, etc.) who may be working on feeding issues with
their child.
Since the most successful feeding treatment occurs in the
natural environment of the home, day care, or school,
community based therapists frequently assist in the
implementation of the recommendations. We also encourage
families to return to the CCMC Feeding Team for a follow up
visit, to monitor progress and problem solve around
continuing areas of difficulty as appropriate. |
