Feeding Program - 1st Floor
Pediatric occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, psychologists and registered dietitians at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital have the expertise to diagnose, treat and manage the care of children who have feeding and swallowing disorders. Pediatric feeding therapists work with your child to help them learn to eat and drink by mouth. We offer intensive day therapy and outpatient therapy for infants and children. If your child shows any of these signs, they may benefit from feeding therapy:
- Food allergies
- Weight loss or slower than average weight gain
- Refusal to eat or unwilling to try new foods
- Choking, gagging or vomiting while eating
- Feeding tube dependence
- Medically complex infants and children with feeding difficulty
- Oral and food aversions
- Difficulty increasing food textures
- Behavioral concerns during meals
At your child’s first visit, we listen to your concerns and discuss your child’s health history and feeding history. Then, your child will do a feeding evaluation with our care team. Additional tests and evaluations may be recommended for your child's treatment. Care plans may include intensive day therapy, outpatient feeding therapy, and caregiver education.
Intensive day therapy
If your child has a severe or chronic feeding disorder, an intensive day therapy program may be recommended as part of their care plan. From your child’s first appointment, they will be cared for by a multidisciplinary team of pediatric specialists. Intensive day therapy usually involves multiple visits in a day across consecutive days or weeks. We work closely with your child’s primary care doctor and pediatric specialists, such as pediatric gastroenterologists, to coordinate your child’s care. Together, we deliver comprehensive care that’s right for your child.
If you are traveling from outside of Evansville for intensive day therapy and need a place to stay, talk with your child’s care team. Some families may stay at the Ronald McDonald House near Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital while their child is getting care.
Outpatient therapy
Outpatient feeding therapy includes treatment with our interdisciplinary team members. Appointments are typically scheduled one to two times weekly. Outpatient therapy is designed to address your child’s feeding needs in a less intensive environment. In some cases, outpatient therapy may be recommended in preparation for an admission to our intensive treatment program.
Feeding therapy in Indianapolis
Team members from the Evansville Pediatric Feeding Program provide monthly 2-3 day clinics at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. Your child’s care is coordinated with their specialists in Indianapolis. Your child’s care team may include specialists in ENT (ear, nose and throat), pulmonology, gastroenterology and sleep medicine.
