Responsive Feeding Therapy (RFT) is flexible, prioritizes the feeding relationship, and respects and develops autonomy. RFT is based on what works with happy, self-directed eaters who enjoy eating, are confident in their eating skills and are internally motivated to eat enough. RFT is guided by a sensitive reading of a child’s cues and celebrates mealtimes and a love of food. The child will always have autonomy, and within that autonomy they can find the curiosity and confidence to try new food experiences.

Our team of Speech-Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists partner with your family to help your child overcome feeding challenges and bring joy back to your family’s table. Our commitment is having parents learn the skills and strategies to continue to work with their child on their journey with food well past working with our program. At the same time, we empower the child to listen, trust, and protect their body.

Together, we build a lasting and meaningful relationship with food and eating. Our holistic approach to feeding centres on connecting parents and children through eating experiences that feel safe and comfortable.

How does it work?

Our program has been thoughtfully designed to promote empowering families to feel confident adopting this framework in their homes. Our parent coaching curriculum includes home practice opportunities, video examples of feeding therapy activities and opportunities for parents and caregivers to connect and learn from each others’ experience. The parent group coaching sessions will optimize the direct sessions with the feeding therapist by helping the child and family feel comfortable and confident with the approach by the time they get started with their feeding therapist.

Pre-Program Assessment:
We start with a thorough feeding and mealtime assessment comprised of a review of the child’s complete feeding history, parental report on eating experiences and what approaches they have been trying to help their child eat, an observation of the child eating a “typical for them” meal, a meal journal detailing the last three days of meals and snacks your child has had and reviewing previous related professional reports.

Parent Group Coaching:
First parents work with our clinicians in small group cohorts for 6 weeks to learn foundational skills, information and strategies. You will learn as a group during a live 90min weekly online session and be provided with individualized home practice that works for your family. Weekly home practice and goals will be simple and built into daily mealtime routines. They will be jointly created with you and the clinician and individual family capacities and needs, as well as your individual child’s feeding profile and needs, will be at the forefront of the weekly practice.

Individual Feeding Therapy Sessions:
Following the 6-week parent training/coaching program, families will have the opportunity to work with one of our feeding therapists in a 1:1 format either in your home or virtually for 6 or 12 sessions. These sessions will build on the strategies and skills you learned in the parent group and practice with you and your child to build capacity in both of you.