What exactly is a pediatric feeding disorder?
A pediatric feeding disorder is when a child- does not eat or drink enough to gain weight and grow;
- does not eat or drink enough different foods or drinks to get his or her nutrition;
- does not or cannot eat like children that are the same age or developmental level;
- takes a long time to eat or has problem behavior at mealtimes; or
- has eating patterns or mealtime behavior that causes stress for the family.
How will my child be assessed?
Assessment focuses on understanding the cause of the child’s feeding problems, while considering- medical history;
- current diagnoses;
- oral-motor skills;
- nutrition; and
- behavior.
The program is highly successful. We meet 90 percent of the goals we set for individual children.
Learn more about MMI's Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program
What services does the program offer?
The program offers services at several intensity levels, depending on the needs of the child.
- Evaluation clinic determines whether the child is appropriate for one of our programs.
- Day-treatment program provides intensive services for children with severe feeding disorders.
- Outpatient program provides follow up to day-treatment and services to children with milder feeding disorders.
- SEEDS program provides early intervention and feeding services to children with feeding disorders and autism spectrum disorder or a developmental disability
Who is appropriate for the program?
Children with feeding disorders from birth to age 12 in the day-treatment and outpatient programs. We will consider children and adolescents over the age of 12 on a case-by-case basis.
Children with feeding disorders and a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or developmental disability from ages 2 to 8 in the SEEDS program.
What is the program’s treatment approach?
Our assessments focus on finding the cause of the feeding problem.
Our treatments use the information from the assessment to improve feeding behavior.
Treatment methods used in our program are
- Scientifically supported;
- Individualized; and
- Data based.
Our philosophy is - to be a good eater, you must practice eating.
We set the child up for success by breaking eating down into small, simple steps.
Treatment for pediatric feeding disorders focuses on
- teaching the child to eat a variety of healthy foods;
- promoting appropriate weight gain and growth;
- teaching the child to eat like other children; and
- training caregivers to use the treatments at home.