Sensory-Based Feeding Therapy
Helping children with sensory processing challenges expand their diets through gentle, play-based feeding therapy that respects their unique sensory needs.
Understanding Sensory-Based Feeding Challenges
Some children experience food textures, smells, tastes, and visual appearance far more intensely than their peers. A food that feels perfectly normal to one child may be overwhelming or even intolerable to another. This isn't behavioral — it's neurological. The child's sensory system processes input differently, making certain foods genuinely difficult to tolerate.
Laura Friedman is trained in the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding, which is specifically designed to address sensory-based feeding challenges. By understanding how your child's sensory system processes food-related input, we can create a targeted treatment plan that gradually builds comfort and expands their diet.
Signs of Sensory-Based Feeding Difficulties
How Sensory Feeding Therapy Works
Our sensory feeding therapy addresses your child's specific sensory profile through a multi-faceted approach:
Sensory Assessment
Identifying your child’s specific sensory triggers and tolerance thresholds across all sensory channels — taste, texture, smell, visual, and temperature.
Systematic Desensitization
Gradual, playful exposure to challenging foods using the SOS hierarchy — from tolerating to interacting, smelling, touching, tasting, and eating.
Oral Motor Development
Strengthening the muscles needed for chewing and managing different food textures safely and efficiently.
Environmental Modifications
Adjusting the mealtime environment (seating, utensils, plate presentation) to reduce sensory overwhelm and support success.
The SOS Approach for Sensory Eaters
The SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach is particularly well-suited for children with sensory-based feeding challenges because it never forces food and always respects the child's sensory system. Rather than pressuring children to eat, SOS uses a systematic hierarchy that meets the child exactly where they are and builds comfort step by step.
A key component of our approach is food chaining — building bridges from foods your child already accepts to similar new foods. For example, if your child eats a specific brand of chicken nugget, we might work toward accepting a different brand, then homemade breaded chicken, then grilled chicken. Each step is small enough to feel manageable while steadily expanding your child's diet.
Supporting Your Child at Home
Progress in therapy is reinforced by what happens at home. We teach parents practical strategies that make a real difference in day-to-day mealtimes:
- Reducing mealtime pressure — creating a calm, low-stress eating environment where your child feels safe to explore
- Food exploration through play — using sensory play activities to build comfort with different textures, smells, and appearances outside of mealtimes
- Building food bridges — learning how to gradually introduce new foods that are similar to your child's accepted foods
- Creating a supportive sensory environment — adjusting lighting, seating, utensils, and plate presentation to reduce sensory overwhelm during meals
Frequently Asked Questions
Concerned About Your Child's Eating?
Schedule a free consultation to discuss your child's sensory feeding challenges and explore treatment options.