Parent support & coaching · Lane Cove
Feeding & Oral Motor
Therapy for Children
Practical strategies and gentle guidance, so you feel more confident supporting your child every day.
- Members of Occupational Therapy Australia
A partnership
Feeding & Oral Motor
Dinner is on the table, and your child reaches for the same familiar foods they’ve been eating all week while other foods are left untouched. You might wonder whether to keep offering variety or simply let it be.
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Many children experience mealtimes differently than expected, and feeding can bring worry and uncertainty. Understanding food preferences through a neuroaffirming lens can help shift mealtimes from pressure to connection, safety, and trust.
Why Feeding Therapy
Can Help
Eating is one of the most complex things a young child does. It asks them to coordinate their jaw, tongue, lips and cheeks, to manage a rush of sensory information, and to stay regulated enough to sit and engage while doing it. If eating is tricky for your child, mealtimes can often turn into a stressful time of the day.
Many parents are told their child will grow out of it. Sometimes that is true. Sometimes the difficulty is skill-based or sensory, and it will not resolve on its own without support. An assessment can help you understand which one you are dealing with.
Is Feeding Therapy Right for Your Child?
Think about your child's eating habits and mealtime experiences.. If several of the following feel familiar, a feeding assessment may be worthwhile:
Eats a very limited range of foods
Avoids entire food groups or textures, such as anything crunchy or anything wet
Gags, coughs, chokes or vomits while trying to eat or drink
Overstuffs their mouth or leaves food in their cheeks
Loses food or drink from their mouth, or drools beyond the expected age
Has not moved on from purees or bottles when you had hoped to transition
Cries, arches away or becomes distressed at most meals
Has had poor weight gain or a fall in growth percentiles
Has been described as picky at two or more child health checks
This list may prompt some future questions. If you are unsure, a conversation with an occupational therapist can help you decide whether support is needed now or something to revisit later.
Our Feeding & Oral Motor Therapy Services
Feeding therapy looks at the whole picture, because eating is never only about food. Depending on what your child needs, therapy may focus on:
Addressing avoidance of particular foods, textures or food groups
Supporting sensory tolerance of taste, smell, temperature and texture
Helping your child stay regulated and comfortable at the table
Building independence with cutlery, cups and self-feeding
Progress looks different for every child, and goals are set with you so support stays relevant as your child grows.
The SOS Approach to Feeding at OT Kids Academy
Our therapists draw on the SOS Approach to Feeding, a structured, play-based program that combines sensory, motor, oral, emotional, behavioural and nutritional factors. Rather than asking a child to eat a food they find frightening, it moves through a sequence of steps: tolerating a food nearby, interacting with it, smelling it, touching it, tasting it, and eventually eating it.
Children move through these steps at a pace that respects their readiness. Because the work is play-based, it tends to feel curious rather than confronting, which is often what allows a child to try something new.
Ways to Access Feeding Support
Feeding and oral motor support can be delivered in a few ways, and your therapist will recommend what suits your child:
Individual therapy
one-to-one sessions in our clinic, tailored to your child's specific goals and paced entirely around them.
Home and community settings
where it helps, therapy can extend to the environments where your child actually eats.
Parent coaching
practical strategies and resources so the work continues between sessions.
An initial assessment is completed before joining the feeding group, to check it is a good fit and to set your child's goals.
Parent Coaching and Support
Supporting a child who may experience difficulties with feeding can be emotionally challenging. At times, carers and family can sometimes feel isolated or unsupported. You may have been given conflicting advice, or felt judged for the food on your child's plate. Feeding therapy is not only about your child. It also gives you a clearer understanding of what is driving the difficulty and practical strategies that fit into how your family already eats.
Feeding Assessments & Reports
An initial feeding assessment helps build a picture of your child's oral motor skills, sensory responses, mealtime behaviours and history. Where appropriate, our therapists can provide written reports to support communication with schools, early learning settings, funding bodies or other health professionals such as dieticians, speech pathologists, and paediatricians.
All assessments are completed in line with professional and ethical standards. Services may be accessed through private payment, Medicare where eligibility criteria are met, or NDIS for eligible participants and plan types. A referral is not required.
Ready when you are
Book a Feeding Assessment in Lane Cove
If mealtimes have become challenging, you do not need to wait until they become overwhelming. Call our Lane Cove clinic on (02) 8040 0876 or get in touch to schedule an assessment and talk through what support might look like for your child.
Get in touch
Send an enquiry and we will help you find the right starting point.
Book an Assessment
Talk it through with our friendly team
Explore our services
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Frequently Asked Questions
Feeding difficulties raise a lot of questions, and most parents arrive with the same ones. Here are the questions we hear most often.
What Is Feeding And Oral Motor Therapy For Children?
Feeding therapy is an area of occupational therapy that supports the sensory, motor, and functional skills children need to participate in mealtimes with confidence and comfort. It considers how a child experiences food through their senses, how they use their body and hands during eating, and how factors such as regulation, routines, and the mealtime environment influence eating. Therapy is individualised, play-based, and responsive to each child's needs, focusing on building positive mealtime experiences rather than pressuring children to eat.
How Do I Know If My Child Needs Feeding Therapy?
It may be worth seeking an assessment if your child eats a very limited range of foods, avoids whole textures or food groups, gags or coughs regularly at meals, holds food in their mouth, or if mealtimes have become a daily source of stress. Poor weight gain, difficulty moving from purees to solids, or ongoing concerns raised at health checks are also worth discussing. An assessment can help clarify what is contributing and whether support would be useful now or later.
What Is The Difference Between Fussy Eating And Problem Feeding?
Most children go through phases of refusing foods. Fussy eating usually involves a reasonable range of accepted foods and some willingness to try new ones over time. Problem feeding tends to involve a very restricted diet, distress at mealtimes, avoidance of entire textures or food groups, and difficulty that does not settle with the usual strategies. The distinction matters because it changes what kind of support is helpful, and an assessment can help you understand where your child sits.
What Are Oral Motor Skills And Why Do They Matter?
Oral motor skills are the coordinated movements of the jaw, tongue, lips, and cheeks that support functional eating and drinking. Occupational therapists focus on how these movements are used during everyday mealtimes for skills such as biting, chewing, and managing different food textures. When these skills are still developing, a child may chew slowly, tire during meals, overstuff their mouth, or avoid foods that require more chewing. Therapy focuses on building functional eating skills to support more comfortable, enjoyable mealtimes and greater confidence exploring a wider range of foods. Progress varies between children.
What Approach Does OT Kids Academy Use For Feeding Therapy?
Our therapists draw on the SOS Approach to Feeding, a structured, play-based program that brings together sensory, motor, oral, emotional, behavioural and nutritional factors. Children move through the steps to eating at a pace that respects their readiness, rather than being pressured to eat. Individual goals are set for every child, and parents are given practical strategies and resources so progress can continue at home between sessions.
Will My Child Be Made To Eat Foods They Do Not Like?
No. Pressure tends to increase anxiety around food rather than reduce it. Therapy starts with the steps your child can already manage, which may simply be tolerating a food on the table, and builds gradually from there through looking, touching, smelling and tasting. The aim is to reduce fear and build curiosity so eating becomes possible, not to force a particular meal. Your therapist will always work at your child's pace.
How Long Does Feeding Therapy Usually Take?
This depends on your child's age, the nature of their feeding difficulties, and how consistently strategies can be practised at home. Some families notice small shifts within a few weeks, while others work over several months. Your therapist will discuss a realistic timeframe with you after the initial assessment. Outcomes vary between individuals.
Does My Child Need A Diagnosis To Access Feeding Therapy?
No. Your child does not need a diagnosis to see an occupational therapist for feeding or oral motor support. Therapy focuses on what your child is finding difficult day to day, not on labels. Many families come to us because mealtimes have become hard and they want clarity about what is happening and what might help.
Can Feeding Therapy Help Children With Sensory Sensitivities?
Often, yes. Sensory sensitivities to texture, smell, taste or temperature are a common contributor to restricted eating. Therapy can help your child become more comfortable exploring food through their senses in low-pressure ways, while also building the oral motor skills needed to manage new textures. Where sensory processing is affecting eating more broadly, your therapist may recommend strategies that extend beyond mealtimes.
How Do I Get Started With Feeding And Oral Motor Therapy?
The first step is an initial assessment. Your therapist will talk with you about your child's history, observe how they eat and interact with food, and discuss what you are hoping to change. From there, you'll work together with your occupational therapist to set meaningful goals and develop a therapy plan tailored to your child's needs. Individual sessions can take place in the clinic, at home, or within your child's daycare, preschool, or school, depending on what best supports your child's participation and everyday routines. You can book an assessment by calling the clinic or getting in touch through our contact form.
This page is intended for general information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a qualified health professional for advice tailored to your child's individual needs. Outcomes vary between individuals.