Programs & Services

An accurate diagnosis is the key to effective treatment. Our expert team works together to learn the root cause of your child’s disorder. We’ll develop a custom care plan that recommends the best treatment options, ensuring we take the right approach for your child.

Most care plans include common medical treatments, and some recommend surgery. No matter what steps are involved in your child’s care, you can trust the experts at Phoenix Children’s.

Before your first visit, we’ll work with you to gather your child’s medical history and the results of any previous tests. Our intake coordinator will call you to gather all the information we need. Our team carefully reviews these details before you arrive so we can complete a detailed evaluation of your child and have ample time with your family to discuss next steps.

This first visit will take several hours and be completed in one day, usually on a Monday morning. You’ll leave that visit with a clear understanding of next steps and ways we can help your child.

Education is a big part of the services we provide to your family. We want to understand your goals, and we’ll discuss ways we can help your child. You’ll return another day to complete any other testing needed to ensure we have an accurate diagnosis before any procedures are scheduled.

Before your child’s visit to our Pediatric Feeding Disorders Clinic, we’ll send you a packet of information. This packet will explain any steps you need to take before your first appointment at the clinic.

During the first visit, we’ll spend time talking with you and your child as we complete a thorough evaluation. As we get to know your child, we’ll assess their needs – and your goals – in four key areas:

• Medical: A pediatric gastroenterologist identifies and manages any medical or GI-related feeding challenges.
• Nutrition: A registered dietitian evaluates their nutritional intake, growth patterns and dietary needs.
• Psychosocial: A pediatric psychologist looks for behavioral, emotional and other issues that affect mealtime and feeding routines.
• Skills and development: Occupational therapists evaluate multi-sensory processing and regulation skills. Speech-language pathologists assess swallowing function and oral motor skills.

This collaboration among specialists ensures we understand and address every aspect of your child’s feeding challenges. We’ll then develop an effective plan of care for your child that considers your goals as a family. Your child’s personalized care may include feeding therapy, occupational therapy, nutrition management and guidance, group feeding therapy, medical management of ongoing conditions and support plans for managing feeds at home. As a unique advantage of our physician-led team, if during evaluation we identify the need for further medical workup, we can include referrals to other specialties or orders for relevant procedures as a part of your treatment plan.

Our Intensive Feeding Therapy program follows the similar collaborative model that addresses each aspect of your family’s unique needs. During intensive feeding therapy, patients are seen up almost daily for a 5-6 week period. During this program, you and your child will participate in:

• Active parent role during therapy and at home
• Behavioral support, parent coaching and emotional guidance
• Growth tracking though weekly visits
• Sensory-based activities targeting improved tolerance of a variety of food textures
• Oral motor skill development helping your child eat more and feed themselves orally

As your child progresses, they will transition to two visits per week for an additional six weeks. After your child complete the program, our care team determines the plan of care for continued follow-up based on your child’s progress and ongoing needs. Our experienced team will monitor and communicate with you about your child’s progress throughout their time in the program. We’ll work with your family as a partner in your child’s care to carryover strategies you learn and can follow at home.

Weaning from feeding tubes can be challenging without support from specialists to help monitor progress and personalize your child’s care. Our multidisciplinary team specializes in providing the comprehensive care and support necessary to help your child progress to eating by mouth. With most patients, this takes time and patience. When it finally happens, eliminating tube feedings is life-changing for patients – and their families.

Group feeding therapy at Phoenix Children’s encourages children to explore and accept new foods within a structured, supportive peer environment. Group feeding therapy uses social learning and can reduce the stress and tension often felt during mealtimes.

During these sessions, your child will be matched with children close to the same age. Sessions are led by occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists. While your child is in group feeding therapy, you’ll be in another room nearby learning tools and strategies to support your child’s progress at home.