What to Expect at Feeding Foundations

From your first contact through discharge, care at Feeding Foundations is designed to support your child and your family—every step of the way

1. Booking & Intake

We start with a conversation to understand your concerns, feeding history, and goals. Insurance and scheduling questions are addressed up front.

2. Comprehensive Evaluation
Your child receives a thorough assessment tailored to their needs, which may include feeding skills, oral-motor function, speech and language, movement, regulation, breathing patterns, and oral resting posture.

3. Individualized Treatment
Therapy is play-based, functional, and family-centered—focused on building skills that carry over into daily routines.

4. Caregiver Coaching
Families are actively involved in sessions and provided with clear, practical strategies to use at home.

5. Collaboration & Progress Monitoring
We regularly reassess progress and collaborate with medical providers when appropriate.

6. Discharge with Confidence
Therapy concludes when goals are met, skills are functional, and families feel confident continuing independently.

 

Speech Therapy

Speech therapy at Feeding Foundations focuses on feeding, oral function, and early communication. We help infants and young children develop the skills needed for safe feeding, efficient swallowing, clear speech, and healthy oral habits.

Speech Therapy May Help If Your Child Has:

  • Feeding difficulties, oral aversion, or poor endurance

  • Breast or bottle-feeding challenges

  • Gagging, coughing, or difficulty transitioning to solids

  • Speech sound delays or early language delays

  • Oral-motor or myofunctional concerns

  • Tethered oral tissue (tongue, lip, or cheek ties)

  • Difficulty after oral tie release

  • Mouth breathing, open-mouth posture, or inefficient swallowing

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy focuses on the whole body foundations that support feeding, regulation, and development. OT addresses how movement, muscle tone, sensory processing, and body comfort impact daily function.

Occupational Therapy May Help If Your Child Has:

  • Body tension, asymmetry, or movement restrictions

  • Difficulty calming, regulating, or tolerating feeding

  • Developmental delays or foundational motor challenges

  • Physical barriers impacting feeding

  • Sensory sensitivities affecting daily routines

  • Need for gentle preparation before oral tie release

  • Support during post-procedure healing

  • Parents needing hands-on strategies to support their child

Why Speech Therapy & Occupational Therapy Together?

Speech and occupational therapy work best when they address both oral function and the body as a whole. By collaborating closely, we support feeding, communication, and development from the inside out — helping children make meaningful progress and families feel supported every step of the way.

Collaboration & Trusted Referrals

Your child’s care doesn’t stop at our door. We believe children thrive best when care is collaborative. If additional support is needed, we help guide families to trusted professionals outside our office. These referrals are based on long-standing professional relationships built through years of clinical experience and collaboration, ensuring families receive thoughtful, well-coordinated care. Our goal is always to help you find the right support for your child — whether that care is provided within our practice or alongside other trusted providers.

When to Seek Feeding or Myofunctional Support

Every child develops at their own pace—but if feeding, breathing, or oral function feels challenging or stressful, support can help. An evaluation can provide clarity, guidance, and peace of mind.

You may want to reach out if your child experiences:

  • Prolonged disinterest in purées or solid foods

  • Difficulty transitioning from purées to solids

  • Gagging, coughing, or vomiting during meals

  • Mouth clamping, turning head away, or refusal when food is offered

  • Fear, distress, or upset when seated in a high chair

  • Persistent tongue thrust or pushing food out of the mouth

  • Chewing food and spitting it out

  • Limited chewing or premature swallowing of solids

  • Whole or poorly-chewed food present in diapers

  • Limited variety of accepted foods or textures

  • Difficulty balancing milk and solid food intake

  • Challenges transitioning to age-appropriate cups (straw or open cup)

 

  • Lip blisters or calluses

  • Recessed chin

  • High or narrow palate

  • Notch or heart-shaped appearance at the tongue tip

  • Plagiocephaly (head asymmetry)

  • Asymmetrical mouth opening or yawning

 

These signs may indicate difficulty with coordination, strength, or oral motor function:

  • Difficulty gaining or maintaining a latch

  • Shallow, tight, compressed, or painful latch

  • Slipping off the breast or bottle

  • Clicking sounds during feeding

  • Milk leaking from the mouth during feeds

  • Excessive air intake while feeding

  • Poor weight gain or weight loss

  • Reflux, excessive spit-up, gas, or colic-like symptoms

  • Fussiness at the breast or bottle refusal

  • Fatigue during feeds (falling asleep early, frequent feeding)

  • Frequent hiccups

  • Gagging on the breast or bottle nipple

  • Jaw quivering during feeds

  • Long pauses or inconsistent sucking patterns

  • Limited wet or dirty diapers

  • Green or frothy stools

Support may be helpful if your child shows:

  • Mouth breathing or open-mouth posture

  • Snoring or restless sleep

  • Tongue thrust

  • Prolonged drooling

  • Thumb, finger, or pacifier habits beyond expected age

  • Chewing or swallowing difficulties

  • Speech clarity concerns

  • Grinding teeth

  • Pre- or post-frenectomy needs

If you’re unsure whether therapy is needed, an evaluation can help.

Many families seek support simply to understand what’s happening and learn how to best support their child’s development. Early guidance can make feeding easier, improve comfort, and support long-term oral, speech, and breathing outcomes.