Center for Pediatric Feeding Disorders

Experts estimate that nearly 25% of all children, or 80% of children with developmental delays or multiple handicaps, have feeding disorders. St. Mary’s Center for Pediatric Feeding Disorders offers the only interdisciplinary feeding program in New York State, with a variety of specialists who are solely dedicated to helping children with feeding disorders thrive. These team members include a pediatric gastroenterologist, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, behavioral psychologists, nutritionist, social workers, and a pediatric nurse practitioner.

Populations We Serve
St. Mary’s treats children from birth to 12 years who have gastrointestinal disorders, oral-motor deficits, and behavior problems and present with eating difficulties such as:

		dependence on liquid or pureed foods or nutritional supplements
		failure to thrive
		poor suck and swallow
		poor chewing
		nutritional deficiency
		food refusal
		mealtime tantrums

Programs and Services We Offer
Depending on the level of severity and the child’s medical needs, patients enrolled in the Center for Pediatric Feeding Disorders are treated in our inpatient, day, or home care programs which offer similar services complete with bilingual support:

		comprehensive evaluation
		medical management
		development of individualized treatment plans aligned with parents’ goals
		minimum of 3 to 4 therapeutic meals per day, 5 days per week, for 6 to 12 weeks (day or inpatient programs)
		caregiver education and training in the Behavioral Feeding Protocol
		weekly support group for parents
		sensorimotor therapy
		nutritional supplementation
		nutritional counseling/education
		oral-motor therapy
		behavioral therapy
		reinforcement techniques
		child behavior management strategies

Measurable Outcomes

		Decreased dependence on nutritional supplements and tube feeding
		Weight gain and maintenance
		Increase in volume of food consumed
		Greater variety of food types and textures consumed
		Oral-motor competency
		Improved mealtime behaviors