Traditional & Intensive Feeding TherapyThe mission of the NAPA Center Feeding Program is to provide families and their children with the skills and techniques necessary to love eating and to become safer, more comfortable, and confident in advancing their child’s feeding and swallowing skills.
NAPA Center’s Intensive Feeding Program, Mastering Mealtimes, is a 4-month comprehensive program that provides families and their children with the skills and techniques necessary to love eating and to become safer, more comfortable, and confident in advancing their child’s feeding and swallowing skills. Fill out our Intensive Feeding Program Intake Form to get started.
NAPA Center provides traditional weekly feeding therapy with our feeding specialists (Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists) to support children’s independence in eating and support families in creating successful mealtime routines. We offer relationship-based developmental feeding services to address various feeding difficulties and VitalStim for the treatment of dysphasia and swallowing difficulties.
NAPA Center values addressing the root cause of co-occurring health conditions related to pediatric feeding disorders such as food intolerances, gut dysfunction, and poor weight gain. We partnered with Kerri Louati, the founder of Foodicinal, an integrative nutrition practice focusing on the pediatric population with a specialty in complex and gut-related disorders.
Your child’s intensive program is individually tailored to accommodate your child and family’s current level and needs. Variable in length, typically most programs are four months long. Family members and caregivers involved will be trained on how to incorporate therapy techniques into daily mealtimes to create a happy and safe mealtime experience.
Our intake includes detailed questions which assist our staff in making sure your child is a good candidate for our program. The questions will also help our staff tailor a program specifically for your child. If we require further information, we may contact you for a screening to discuss your child’s current feeding/swallowing. This information helps us make the best recommendations possible for your child.
INTENSIVE FEEDING PROGRAM INTAKE FORM
After you’ve filled out our intake, you will receive an email from our intensive coordinator with your therapy recommendations. If you have been offered a session, this email will also contain a link to register for your intensive session.
Once you are booked into Mastering Mealtimes, our team will reach out to schedule a 50-minute feeding consultation/evaluation with a feeding therapist. During this consultation, the therapist will review the information you provided on the intake, recommended a therapy plan which includes pre-intensive skills to work on at home, and answer any questions you may have to prepare for the intensive. Your feeding therapist may also recommend you work with our registered dietician to discuss your child’s current diet and any diet/health concerns you may have prior to the start of the intensive.
Treatment includes 2-3 hours per day, five days per week, for three weeks of individualized 1:1 intervention. Hours per day are decided based on individual therapy plan recommended by the feeding following the screening process. Each hour of therapy will be provided by a feeding specialist (Speech Language Pathologist or Occupational Therapist). Individualized therapy plans may include recommendations for additional Physical and/or Occupational Therapy to strengthen core muscles that support a child’s feeding skills.
Families will leave their intensive with an individualized home program to ensure carryover of learned skills and strategies. Once home, we recommend virtual follow-up sessions to allow caregivers and patients to practice skills they have learned during their session with the support of a therapist in the context of their natural environment.
To view more feeding resources on our website, visit our blog!
