Course Description:

Designed for: SLPs, OTs, PTs,, educators, and other professionals working with infants and young children with feeding problems, such as social workers, nurses and dieticians

Level of instruction: Intermediate

This course teaches a step by step approach to getting children to explore food and enjoy eating. The AEIOU approach – acceptance, exposure, independence, observation and understanding – offers a new and highly successful method for integrated treatment of children with challenging feeding issues and uses sensory, oral motor, biomedical and environmental strategies.

The five factors in this holistic approach emphasize active participation, independence and shared control. This course will arm participants with the knowledge and practical information to achieve functional outcomes for complex etiologies, improve quality of mealtime, manage tube/ supplement dependency, treat sensory aversions, and more. This course is presented in a dynamic learning environment, using case studies and videos to engage and instruct participants.

Participants will be able to apply course learning immediately to:
• Formulate strategies to promote positive parent-child interaction and family centered care.
• Integrate five management factors for biomedical and environmental influences that limit successful feeding.
• Identify contraindications for oral feeding and describe a five-step treatment plan for non-oral feeders.
• Assess signs of distress and/or disengagement during feeding.
• Develop and implement treatment plans that incorporate strategies for the mealtime environment, self-feeding and oral-motor, sensory and motor deficits.

Credits:
• TX/IL/CT/MA: 15 contact hours (1.5 CEUs)
• NY: 18 contact hours

What participants say:

“This course really helped me, as a clinician, understand my children more and how to work with their parents.”
Speech-Language Pathologist

“Loved this course. I will be able to apply the info I learned to my work environment.”
Occupational Therapist

“The ‘missing piece’ to my treatment approach.”
Occupational Therapist

“The best course I have attended as a speech pathologist. Excellent presentation and a wealth of useful information.”
Speech-Language Pathologist

“I’m leaving SO excited to try these strategies on the children I serve. It is a different outlook on food and on behavior.”
Occupational Therapist