Category Archives: Feeding Therapy

Unveiling the Excitement: ASHA Schools Connect 2023 Highlights

August 1, 2023Conferences, Feeding Therapy, Speechasha schools connect, conferences, ezpz, kokolingo, new products, novenops, slp, speech language pathologyAllyson Locke, M.S., OTR/L

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Creating community, supporting students at the ASHA Schools Connect 2023 conference!

From July 13th to July 15th, 2023, Long Beach, California witnessed a vibrant gathering of school based speech and language professionals and vendors at the 2023 ASHA Schools Connect conference. Our team from Therapro was delighted to participate in this enriching event, and we are excited to share with you the three standout highlights from this remarkable conference.

1. Expanding Horizons: Connecting with Vendors and Embracing Innovation

One of the most exhilarating aspects of ASHA Schools Connect 2023 was the opportunity to connect with vendors who showcased cutting-edge products and assessments. For Therapro, this was a gateway to introducing new items on our website and expanding our range of therapeutic supplies. Among the remarkable additions are the innovative ezpz feeding products, designed to make mealtime a breeze for children with various needs. These products promote independence and self-feeding while encouraging healthy eating habits.

In addition to feeding products, we have also embraced new evaluation tools that empower speech-language pathologists in their practice. Some new additions to the Therapro website include the Oral Passage Understanding Scale (OPUS) and the Early Functional Communication Profile (EFCP) . The OPUS has proven to be a valuable tool for assessing listening comprehension and the EFCP measures subtle, functional changes in nonverbal communication skills in children with severe disabilities.

Be sure to check out all of the new products recently added to the Therapro website and stop back often to see all of the updates that are coming!

2. Empowering Therapists: Product Demonstrations

The Therapro booth at the conference showcased the latest therapeutic products, with a focus on empowering therapists and engaging their young clients. One of the best parts of conferences is debuting our newest products. At ASHA Schools Connect the star attractions was Kokolingo, a versatile and interactive language-building game. Its adaptability allows therapists to customize sessions according to individual goals, making articulation therapy engaging and fun for children of all ages.

Beyond unveiling new products, we also reintroduced classic favorites like NOVENOPS. This captivating game has been a staple in speech therapy for years, promoting language skills and cooperation among players. As therapists and attendees rediscovered the joy of NOVENOPS, it served as a reminder of the enduring impact of tried and tested therapeutic tools.

3. Spreading Joy: Prizes and Giveaways

ASHA Schools Connect 2023 was not only an occasion for learning and networking but also a time for celebrating the community’s dedication and passion. As part of the festivities, Therapro proudly hosted a series of exciting giveaways, including a generous Therapro gift certificate. This certificate gives therapists the freedom to explore our extensive catalog and select the supplies that best suit their therapeutic needs.

In addition to the gift certificate, we were thrilled to give away a copy of “Social Language Rules and Tools: A Preschool Curriculum,” an essential book for professionals seeking to enhance social communication skills in preschoolers. This valuable resource is packed with practical strategies and activities to foster meaningful connections and enrich social interactions.

picture of woman holding the book social language rules and tools

picture of a woman holding the therapro speech and language catalog

Embracing Growth, Innovation, and Collaboration

The ASHA Schools Connect 2023 conference was a success for Therapro, fostering new partnerships, introducing innovative products, and reigniting enthusiasm for timeless therapeutic tools. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have been part of such an enriching event, and we’re thrilled to share these highlights with our community of therapists.

As we move forward, we are committed to continuously expanding our range of therapeutic supplies, ensuring therapists have access to the latest tools to empower the young minds they work with. At Therapro, we firmly believe in the power of growth, innovation, and collaboration, and we are excited to embark on this journey together with all the incredible professionals who make a difference in the lives of children every day.

We eagerly look forward to the next ASHA Schools Connect event, where we can once again join this dynamic community, learn, grow, and celebrate the remarkable field of speech and language therapy.

Saturday Seminar: From Farm to Table: A Comprehensive Group Model of Nutrition and Feeding

February 17, 2018Events, Feeding TherapyTherapro

The February 17, 2018 Saturday Seminar at Therapro was an innovative presentation from nutritionist, Maria Napoleone, MS, RD, LDN and Occupational Therapist, Danielle Goldstein, M.Ed, OTR/L, entitled: Farm to Table: A Comprehensive Group Model of Nutrition and Feeding. The women have developed a feeding group collaboratively at BAMSI Early Intervention Program, in Brockton, MA. Maria has notable pediatric experience as a nutritionist working in varied settings including the Boston Medical Center Growth and Nutrition Clinic, Pediatric Feeding Clinic and Pediatric Surgery Department at UMass Medical Center, WIC, early intervention, and as a Peace Corps volunteer. Danielle’s broad pediatric experience includes practice in acute care, outpatient services, feeding team, school-based therapy, early intervention, and private practice.

Danielle and Maria described Farm to Table as a comprehensive model to improve feeding outcomes with nutrition at its foundation. Their toddler feeding group at BAMSI involves using a multi-sensory approach in a structured group setting in which peer role models play a critical role in the development of eating skills. The seminar covered many topics including tips on how to structure a feeding group in various settings, how to implement key strategies, how to empower parents carryover and use the strategies learned through the group, how to improve the quality of foods consumed, how to improve mealtime behavior, and much more!

Farm to Table developed over a number of years as the model for the BAMSI feeding group that provided the toddlers with hands-on food exploration and multisensory experiences in a nurturing, supportive setting. The Sequential Oral Sensory (S.O.S) Approach, a trans-disciplinary program for assessing and treating children with feeding challenges and weight/growth problems, serves as the approach the BAMSI team uses in their feeding group. S.O.S. integrates posture, sensory, motor, behavioral/learning, medical, and nutritional factors to evaluate and manage children with feeding and growth difficulties. Creating a garden as part of the group experience gives the children other sensory and food-related experiences that helps them understand how food grows and what it looks like when it is cooked and on your plate. The garden has produced a wide variety of vegetables and herbs that the group has used to prepare snacks and meals including spaghetti sauce, zucchini muffins, and pesto. Growing food adds a critical component to the group in light of the fact that Maria noted that “70-90% of children who receive EI services have one or more nutritional risk indicators.”

Several of the many helpful resources recommended by Danielle and Maria include: www.choosemyplate.gov, www.feedingmatters.org, www.ellynsatterinstitute.org, and www.farmtopreschool.org.

Maria and Danielle presented an exciting model that addresses jointly the importance of developing a solid nutritional foundation for children as well as the need to support children with feeding challenges through a multi-sensory approach to feeding. They have documented great success with their Farm to Table feeding group. The rich experiences the children gain take them from learning about how plants are grown, cared for, and harvested, to how the plants are prepared, cooked, and eaten, in a structured group with peers and adult role models. This team approach takes children who experience feeding challenges on a nurturing, supportive, fun journey toward improved nutrition and enjoyment of food!

Take a look at a few of the many positive comments from attendees about Danielle and Maria’s seminar:

“Very informational on ways to improve feeding with children not just by using food but also through movement, circle time, structured activities. Really like the idea of group and using peer modeling.” – Julia N., Occupational Therapist

“It was interesting and well presented. I will use many of these strategies for my class. (I am in First Grade and work with Special Needs).” – Annmarie M., Teacher

“Great process from beginning to end of creating this group program.” – Micaela C., Physical Therapist

“The emphasis on the process was important in understanding that every student works at their own pace and that any type of food trial – whether it be touch, smell, or taste is success!” – Beth M., Occupational Therapist

Thank you, Maria and Danielle!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
February 17, 2018

Teaching Utensil Use Outside of the Mealtime Experience

January 11, 2018Feeding Therapy, Fine Motor, Life SkillsGuest Blogger

It seems as natural as can be; use a child’s meals and snack times as opportunities to teach them how to hold and control their fork or spoon. In this atmosphere of “least restrictive environment” and push-in treatment, this sounds like a great plan for your therapy session.

Although it seems like a good idea, there are circumstances in which separating utensil use from food consumption, at least initially, can be more effective in treatment:

Children with tactile aversions and oral sensitivity may find combining manual and intra-oral exploration to be too overwhelming.
Children with both motor and sensory issues may find that they cannot work on practicing multiple skills at the same time.
Children with behavior issues can be faced with a difficult situation: they want to eat and they want to exert control over their body or an adult’s behavior.
Kids with minimal endurance or tolerance can lack the ability to complete a meal, leaving them dependent on adults or frustrated with their fatigue or a sense of failure.

Teaching utensil use without the expectation of food ingestion can solve these problems. As skills and tolerance grow, the two experiences can be joined successfully. Here are some suggestions to make practice effective and weave it back into functional experience as seamlessly as possible:

Have the child feed an adult using child-friendly utensils and foods. A child may decide to take a bite instead of feeding the adult, so a food’s size and texture should be safe for the child’s developmental level.

Playfully scooping and piercing non-food objects such as non-edible dough with utensils and other “real” tableware may extend practice sessions while decreasing the stress of multi-sensory exposure with food.

Watching the therapist eat food that the child has prepared or served with utensils reinforces the social and nurturing aspects of meal preparation and eating.
Using strategies such as backward chaining or graded exposure, activities that begin by separating utensil use from eating can become more like a typical mealtime experience over time. When children are given a “just-right” level of challenge, they make faster progress with ease.

Cathy Collyer, OTR, LMT, PLLC

Cathy Collyer, OTR, LMT has treated children with neurological, orthopedic and sensory processing disorders for over 20 years. She is the author of The Practical Guide To Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone. Learn more about her work at tranquilbabies.com.