Feeding challenges can go on for years. Therapy doesn’t have to.
We can equip you with the skills you need to feel confident and connected during mealtimes.
How can you feel connected with your child after months or even years of mealtime battles? The work often begins away from mealtime and continues both at meals and away from the table. This happens through setting boundaries for safety and nonnegotiables, and then truly learning to let go of control while you play with your child, maybe cook with your child, and learn how to set up new traditions with your child. We must first believe change can happen.
Ask yourself this: What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Brene Brown, the researcher and storyteller of our time, poised this question nearly ten years ago. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? You would likely try things that are scary, sign up for the class, or maybe even hop in the hot air balloon after only admiring them from the ground. If you know the outcome is going to be successful, you are more likely to try in the first place. We ask that you come with an open mind in order to work through your fear of failure. Failure is often required for growth. It seems backwards, yet if we aren’t afraid of failure, we will be more willing to jump all in knowing the outcome will be better than when we started.
Will our feeding therapy programs guarantee a 100% resolution of your problems and a cure for feeding and eating for good? Absolutely not. We do know, through working with hundreds of families, that small wins will add up to big changes over time. When you show up in the arena, you are giving yourself the best chance you’ve got to make necessary and fruitful changes!
Roots Pediatric Therapy was born to help families plant the seeds needed to cultivate hope, courage, and resiliency in the face of setbacks, challenges, and failures.
With the right tools, we can address the root problems impairing successful feeding and eating skills, inhibiting emotion regulation, and causing significant family stress. Families exist in systems. If one area of the system is off, it impacts the entire flow of the family. The ease is disrupted, and daily tasks start to feel heavy. Our approach to solve this is rooted in Responsive Feeding Therapy, which starts with five main tenets:
Autonomy to make independent decisions
Connected relationships to learn and grow together
Developing competency with the myriad of skills required for safe eating
A holistic approach to problems
Individualized care to meet your specific needs
How is this different than other approaches rooted in behaviorism? We believe the dignity of a person must always be honored. “Interventions” are simply invitations to participate, explore, and change. We do not support the use of reward-based feeding methods, bribes, force feeding, ‘the clean plate club’, the ‘no thank you bite’, or any other damaging, unsafe feeding practices. We also recognize that you have done what you have needed to in order for your child to survive up until now.
With that, we always start from the place you are at so we can begin removing the guilt and shame you feel around feeding your family. You are the expert (cough, mealtime maven) and we are your guide. We love hearing when parent’s say things like: “we don’t dread mealtime anymore”, “I have realized this isn’t all my fault”, “I haven’t screwed up my kid for life”, and our favorite “this is the best investment I’ve ever made” (brave mom of a 6 year old).
Resources to better understand our philosophy and life’s work at Roots Pediatric Therapy:
Beyond Behaviors and Brain-Body Parenting books by Mona Delahooke, PhD
Chicago Feeding Group at www.chicagofeedingroup.org
Feeding Matters at www.feedingmatters.org
Learn, Play, Thrive’s strength-based approach to Autism by Meg Proctor, MS, OTR/L, @learnplaythrive on Instagram
Pediatric Feeding Disorder Consensus Definition and Conceptual Framework article found with the following citation: Goday, P. S., Huh, S. Y., Silverman, A., Lukens, C. T., Dodrill, P., Cohen, S. S., Delaney, A. L., Feuling, M. B., Noel, R. J., Gisel, E., Kenzer, A., Kessler, D. B., Kraus de Camargo, O., Browne, J., & Phalen, J. A. (2019). Pediatric Feeding Disorder: Consensus Definition and Conceptual Framework. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 68(1), 124–129. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000002188
Responsive Feeding Therapy White Paper found with the following citation: Cormack, J., Rowell, K., & Postăvaru, G. I. (2020). Self-Determination Theory as a Theoretical Framework for a Responsive Approach to Child Feeding. Journal of nutrition education and behavior, 52(6), 646–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2020.02.005
Therapist Neurodiversity Collection at therapistndc.org to understand our alignment with the Neurodiversity Movement as a human rights campaign
… and for the most in-depth understanding of our work, check out two books we co-authored and published with Skelly Skills in 2021:
Beyond a Bite Parent Edition: Playful Sensory Food Exploration for ASD and Neurodivergent Kids! by Yaffi Lvova and Hana Eichele
Beyond a Bite Professional Edition: Practical Approaches to Sensory and Feeding Challenges with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Neurodivergent Clients by Yaffi Lvova and Hana Eichele