Feeding Therapy at Puzzle Pieces
Feeding Therapy at Puzzle Pieces
Our feeding therapy program is designed to support children who face challenges with picky eating, sensory sensitivities, or oral-motor difficulties. With a gentle, family-centered approach, we help kids explore new foods, build confidence at the table, and develop positive eating habits that last a lifetime.
Helping Children Build Confidence Around Food in a Supportive,Play-Based Environment
Puzzle Pieces Feeding Therapy is designed to help children feel safe, capable, and calm around food. Whether your child is a selective eater, has sensory sensitivities, or faces oral-motor challenges, our team uses a gentle, personalized approach rooted in evidence-based practices like the SOS Approach to Feeding.
We partner with your family to reduce mealtime stress and build lifelong positive habits around food.
What Feeding Therapy Looks Like
Each session is filled with play-based activities designed to build trust, support motor development, and gently increase food tolerance. These may include:
Graded exposure, like looking, touching, smelling, tasting, and eventually swallowing
Parent coaching and practical home strategies to ease pressure and create mealtime routines
Pretend picnics, “feeding” puppets, or food science experiments
Collaboration with your medical team and coordination across OT, SLP, and mental health
What We Address
Limited food variety that impacts nutrition or family dynamics
Sensory sensitivities related to texture, smell, temperature, or appearance
Gagging, pocketing, or difficulty advancing textures
Oral-motor delays that affect chewing, tongue movement, and drinking
Feeding-related challenges associated with neurodivergence (autism, ADHD, anxiety)
Transition from tube or bottle to oral feeding
Our Evaluation Process
A comprehensive developmental intake with our mental health team
A feeding evaluation with both an occupational therapist and a speech-language pathologist
Observations during snack time, an oral-motor exam, and goal setting with caregivers
A personalized plan of care with recommended frequency, therapy goals, and at-home support
What Makes the Puzzle Pieces Approach Different
- Co-treating with an occupational therapist and a speech-language pathologist when beneficial
- Deep understanding of sensory processing and trauma-informed care
- Use of the SOS Approach to Feeding to support long-term, sustainable progress
- Focus on family empowerment and real-life routines
FAQ
If your child eats fewer than 20 foods, avoids entire textures or food groups, gags or chokes during meals, or if mealtimes are a source of stress, it might be time to explore feeding therapy.
We see children from infancy through school age. Our therapists are trained to adjust sessions based on developmental stage, sensory profile, and individual readiness.
Every child’s needs are unique. Some children may make progress within 6–12 months, while others benefit from ongoing support over a longer period. Growth takes time, consistency, and patience—and progress often builds gradually as your child gains comfort and confidence with new skills.
Never. Our approach is rooted in safety, trust, and autonomy. Children are never forced to eat. We follow their lead and celebrate small steps at their pace.
Yes, parent participation is expected during feeding therapy sessions. Children learn best by watching and modeling those around them, which is why at Puzzle Pieces, we use the SOS Feeding approach that encourages active caregiver involvement in every session.
