FAQ

Feeding therapy is to be considered if your child:

• is at risk for weight loss or/and malnourishment due to food refusals and selectivity;
• is a “picky eater”/problem feeder, has limited food repertoire and texture sensitivity;
• exhibits oral-motor delays; has history of recurrent pneumonia and frequent episodes of choking, gagging, vomiting;
• does not consume age appropriate types of foods and liquids (please contact us for more information on typical foods and liquids progression);
• exhibits disruptive mealtime behaviors such as refusals, tantrums, crying, etc.

According to the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA), feeding therapy in pediatric population is designed to help children diagnosed with feeding disorders which include problems gathering food and getting ready to suck, chew, or swallow it.

Swallowing disorders, also called dysphagia, can occur at different stages in the swallowing process:

• Oral phase – sucking, chewing, and moving food or liquid into the throat
• Pharyngeal phase – starting the swallow, squeezing food down the throat, and closing off the airway to prevent food or liquid from entering the airway (aspiration) or to prevent choking
• Esophageal phase – relaxing and tightening the openings at the top and bottom of the feeding tube in the throat (esophagus) and squeezing food through the esophagus into the stomach (ASHA, 2016).

Although feeding is seen by many as something “natural” or “in-born”, feeding disorders are quite frequent and complex due to the fact that there are many components to it. At Therapy Matters NY we believe in integration of the sensory, oral-motor, behavioral/learning, medical, and nutritional approaches to feeding.

We are happy to offer group feeding therapy through our “Munch Buddies” program. “Munch Buddies” is a fun and engaging play-based intervention program with a focus made on the sensory motor approach to feeding. With active parent participation children continue working towards their treatment goals while learning to enjoy their mealtimes in groups of 3-6.

Yes, at Therapy Matters NY SLP we currently perform bilingual speech, language, myofuntional and feeding assessment and therapy in Russian and Spanish.

Therapy sessions are typically between 30, 45 and 60 minutes in length. The particular length of your sessions will be determined by your feeding therapist/speech language pathologist based on your child`s evaluation results and particular treatment goals.

At Therapy Matters NY SLP we also provide lactation and bottle feeding support as well as speech-language and myofunctional therapy programs for adult and pediatric populations with various speech-language and oral-motor disorders. We also provide social skills therapy both in individual and group therapy settings. Please contact us at 347-292-9899 or therapymattersny@gmail.com for more information or to make an appointment.

We work with many commercial health insurance plans as an OUT-OF-NETWORK provider to offer as an option to help cover eligible treatment services. We strongly encourage parents/caregivers to contact their medical insurance plan regarding out-of-network coverage to learn about covered reimbursement options.An invoice and all the necessary documentation can be provided on a periodic basis to be submitted to your insurance provider for reimbursement. We do not accept the following: in-network insurance plans, Early Intervention, Board of Ed. (CPSE, CSE, RSA’s), Medicare and Medicaid-based plans.

At the moment we accept cash, check, Zelle, PayPal, Venmo and credit card payments. You can pay per session or purchase a package of therapy sessions at a discount rate. Please contact us at 347-292-9899 for our current rates and packages.