Feeding Therapy
Feeding therapy for infants and toddlers, birth to 3.
What feeding therapy involves
Feeding therapy is delivered by clinicians who specialize in it, and it includes guidance for the mealtime routines families use every day.
- Licensed SLPs and OTs trained specifically in feeding
- Your child's clinician is a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist, matched to your child's needs and the setting for sessions.
- Gentle oral-motor practice: chewing, swallowing, tongue & jaw control
- Practice is playful and low-pressure, because pressure makes feeding harder, and sessions typically run 30–45 minutes.
- Sensory exploration to build comfort with new textures
- New foods are introduced in a gentle, low-pressure way, with goals such as widening the foods your child accepts and lowering stress at meals.
- Family coaching and home-practice guides for mealtimes
- We coach you on your everyday mealtime routines, so you know what to try at the table between visits.
Who it’s for
- Limited food variety
- Frequent gagging
- Difficulty chewing or swallowing
- High stress at mealtimes
Authorized through EI and DOH programs, with insurance accepted too.
For infants and toddlers who are Early Intervention eligible, feeding therapy is provided at no cost to families when authorized through DOE-approved and NYS Department of Health programs. Where a family uses private insurance instead, that’s accepted as well. We help you confirm which path applies before services begin.
Verify insurance coverage
How sessions work
Sensory, oral-motor, and behavior together
Feeding therapy addresses sensory needs, oral-motor skills, and mealtime behavior together, so progress carries over to mealtimes.
Playful and low-pressure
Sessions run 30–45 minutes and are kept low-pressure, because pressure makes feeding harder. The work is structured and playful.
Matched and coordinated
We match a licensed pediatric clinician to the child and setting, coordinate with caregivers and school teams, and keep the documentation in order.
What families ask
What does feeding therapy address?
The full picture of eating: sensory needs, oral-motor skills, and mealtime behavior. Providers work on chewing, swallowing, tongue and jaw control, and comfort with new textures, with goals like expanding accepted foods and reducing stress at mealtimes.
Who delivers feeding therapy?
Licensed pediatric clinicians trained in feeding: speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and occupational therapists (OTs), credentialed for the work and cleared to work with children. We match the provider to the child's needs and setting.
Who is it for?
Infants and toddlers (birth–3) who are Early Intervention eligible: children with limited food variety, frequent gagging, difficulty chewing or swallowing, or high stress during meals.
What does it cost families?
There is no cost to eligible families when services are authorized through DOE-approved and NYS Department of Health programs. Insurance is also accepted where applicable.
Where do sessions take place?
In-home, in-school, community-based, or at an agreed clinical setting. Sessions are playful and low-pressure, typically 30–45 minutes, and include family coaching and home-practice guides.
How do we get started?
Tell us what you're seeing at mealtimes and the setting you need. Our coordination team responds within 24 hours, typically within 4–6 hours.
Feeding therapy is often part of Early Intervention. See the full catalog or call (718) 540-8268.
If your child has trouble eating
- Everyone says it is just picky eating. I do not think it is.
- You do not have to settle that question yourself. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association advises talking with your child's doctor about a suspected feeding problem, and a parent can also ask Early Intervention for an evaluation. Call us, describe your mealtimes, and we will explain the steps.
- I keep wondering if I caused this by how I handled meals.
- Feeding difficulties can involve several things at once, which is why feeding therapy looks at sensory needs, oral-motor skills and mealtime behavior together. Sessions stay gentle and low-pressure, and they include coaching for you on what to do at meals.
- I cannot tell if this goes through Early Intervention or our insurance.
- Both routes exist. For a child under three who is found eligible for Early Intervention, feeding therapy authorized on the IFSP comes at no cost to the family, and some families use private insurance instead. Have your card handy when you call and we will sort out which path applies before anything begins.
- Your child's date of birth
- Foods your child eats now, and foods they refuse
- What happens at meals: gagging, coughing, crying, refusing
- Your pediatrician's name and any notes on weight or growth
- Your insurance card, and the IFSP if there is one
You can call without all of these. We will work out the rest with you.
Ask about feeding therapy
Tell us what you're seeing at mealtimes. Our coordination team responds within 24 hours, typically within 4–6 hours, and matches a feeding specialist from there.
