Feeding Therapy

We offer specialized pediatric feeding therapy to help children who experience difficulties with eating, swallowing, or food aversions. Our expert therapists use a fun, play-based approach to address sensory sensitivities, oral-motor challenges, and other feeding-related issues. We work closely with families to create individualized treatment plans that improve mealtime experiences, build healthy eating habits, and promote positive interactions with food. Whether your child struggles with picky eating, difficulty transitioning to solid foods, or medical conditions affecting feeding, our highly trained team of occupational therapists and speech language pathologists is here to support their growth and development.

Areas of Focus:

Pediatric feeding therapy focuses on several key areas to help children overcome feeding challenges and develop healthy eating habits. Some of these areas include:

1. Oral-Motor Skills: Strengthening the muscles used for chewing, sucking, and swallowing to improve a child’s ability to eat different textures of food safely and efficiently.
2. Sensory Integration: Helping children who are sensitive to certain food textures, temperatures, smells, or tastes to tolerate and accept a wider variety of foods.
3. Food Refusal or Selectivity: Addressing extreme picky eating or refusal to eat certain food groups, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
4. Swallowing Difficulties (Dysphagia): Assisting children who have trouble safely swallowing, preventing choking or aspiration.
5. Oral Aversion: Helping children who have negative associations with eating due to past medical issues or trauma to develop positive experiences around food.
6. Transitioning to Solids or New Textures: Supporting children who struggle to transition from liquids to solids or different textures during feeding development.
7. Feeding Anxiety or Stress: Working with children and families to reduce stress or anxiety related to mealtimes, encouraging a more relaxed and enjoyable eating experience.
8. Self-Feeding Skills: Teaching children the fine motor skills necessary to feed themselves, including grasping utensils, scooping, and drinking from cups.
9. Increasing Food Variety and Intake: Gradually introducing new foods to expand the child’s diet and ensure they are meeting their nutritional needs.
10. Parent Education and Support: Involving parents in the process to provide strategies and guidance for reinforcing feeding therapy goals at home.

LOCATIONS for Feeding Therapy

• Burlingame
• Redwood City

Coverage and Payment Options:

• Regional Centers: Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC). We are vendorized with GGRC to provide feeding therapy through them. Contact your social worker to get a referral.
• Insurance: Currently, we are in network for feeding therapy with Health Plan of San Mateo. For any other insurance providers, we are able to provide you with a superbill to seek reimbursement directly.
• Private Pay
• Feeding evaluation — $700– CPT code 92610
• Feeding therapy session
  $230/ 60 min session– CPT code 92526
  $172.50 for 45 min session- CPT code 92526
  $115 for 30 min session – CPT code 92526
• For other insurance carriers, please check with your insurance carrier to confirm the reimbursement process. A Superbill for rendered services can be provided when payment is received. This can be used for reimbursement as allowed by your carrier. Please refer to our helpful guide on the superbill and reimbursement process.