Steps to Feeding Success

We are an Occupational Therapy-led feeding service using principles of the SOS approach to feeding.  Our goal is to support children and their families struggling with mealtimes by providing expert assessment, therapy, and practical advice.

We offer:

• Feeding assessments
• A comprehensive evaluation to understand your child’s feeding challenges, including sensory, motor and behavioural factors.
• Therapy Sessions: individual feeding therapy to help your child to develop positive enjoyable experiences with food.
• Parent support and guidance: practical strategies to make mealtimes less stressful and more successful.

Our approach is family-centred, evidence-based and focused on making food fun while building the skills children need to eat confidently.

Child Feedback

• My therapist has been very nice, helpful and supportive. Her sessions have helped me massively and brought me great joy. I am hoping to continue with my food trying and am very happy with the service.

Parent Feedback

• He thoroughly enjoyed his sessions. Since they ended, he has become more confident and happy. We’ve had glowing reports from all of his peers at school of how much more he has come out of his shell. He is more confident with food and asking more questions and getting more involved.
• I definitely feel like we are making food feel normal around her. Honestly, you have changed our lives. I am so grateful.
• The therapists were amazing and did everything to make this experience the best it could be. I couldn’t thank them enough and would highly recommend this service for parents.
• The staff were so professional and kind. I will definitely be using the tips and skills from the session.

Professional Feedback

• Good feedback from child! Mum was saying how good you’ve been and he’s increasing in weight, eating more and playing with more of his foods!

Assessment Process

Our comprehensive feeding assessment helps us understand your child’s unique needs and challenges around mealtimes. We use a structured, evidence-based approach to gather a full picture of their feeding skills, sensory responses, and mealtime experiences.

What the assessment includes:

• The information gathered in the pre-assessment questionnaire, completed by parents, will help us to understand your child’s feeding history and current challenges.
• Standardised Assessments – We use tools such as the Sensory Profile 2 and Pedi-EAT to evaluate sensory processing and feeding-related behaviours.
• Mealtime Video Analysis – Parents provide a video of a typical mealtime, allowing us to observe their child’s eating habits in a familiar setting.
• Food Diary Review – A record of what your child eats over several days helps us assess their diet variety, intake and mealtime patterns.

Following the assessment, we provide a detailed report summarising our findings and recommendations. This may include tailored strategies, next steps for therapy and practical support to improve mealtimes at home.

Our goal is to provide families with a clear understanding of their child’s feeding difficulties and a pathway to progress.

Treatment Process

We offer one-to-one feeding therapy tailored to your child’s developmental needs, using the SOS Approach to Feeding. Our sessions focus on building confidence with food in a supportive, low-pressure environment.

Our therapy approaches:

• Play-Based Feeding Therapy – For younger children or those with sensory challenges, we use play to explore food in a fun and relaxed way, helping to reduce anxiety and build positive mealtime experiences.
• Food Scientist Exploration – For children and young people who are ready, we take a structured approach to exploring food through curiosity and discovery, encouraging them to interact with new foods without pressure to eat.

Each session is personalised to your child’s needs, helping them progress at their own pace. We also provide parents with practical strategies to support their child’s feeding development at home.

Information to follow

Platt Bridge Health Centre
Rivington Avenue
Wigan
WN2 5NG

Will parents join the assessment and/or treatment sessions?

Parents are welcome to attend assessment and treatment sessions with the expectation that the Therapist will lead each session and coordinate the process to guide both parent and child to maximise the available time.  When providing any feedback at the end, this is usually limited to the last 15 minutes of each session to help to maintain the flow of the planned session content.

Why do we need to have an initial assessment?

Our feeding assessment helps us to understand the underlying reasons behind your child’s feeding difficulties.  Every child is different and challenges for eating can be linked to sensory sensitivities, motor skills, medical history or learned behaviours.  Our assessment allows us to:

• Identify what might be making mealtimes difficult for your child.
• Understand their sensory preferences and how they interact with food.
• Assess their oral motor skills and ability to chew, swallow and manage different textures.
• Provide a clear plan with personalised recommendations to support your child’s feeding journey.

By gathering this information, we can create a therapy plan tailored to your child’s needs, helping them develop confidence skills to enjoy a wider range of foods.

How long after my assessment will I receive my report?

Our reports are completed within 2 weeks of the assessment date (subject to receipt of the food diary and mealtime video content from parent/guardian).

What should I tell my child about their upcoming feeding therapy session?

How you explain the sessions will depend on your child’s age and level of understanding.  The goal is to keep it positive and reassuring so they feel comfortable and prepared.  Here are some simple ways to talk about it:

• For younger children: “We’re going to meet someone who helps children learn about food.  They have fun games and activities and you’ll get to explore different foods together.”

• For older children: “We’re going to see someone who helps children and young people with eating.  They’ll talk to you about your food likes and dislikes and work on problem solving to make it easier for you to explore new foods.”  Let them know they won’t be pressured to eat anything in the session and that the time they spend there is to help them become more comfortable with food.

How long will my child need therapy?

The length of feeding therapy varies depending on your child’s individual needs, progress and goals. Some children and young people may benefit from a short block of sessions to work on specific challenges, while others may need longer term support to gradually build their confidence and skills with food.  Factors that influence the length of therapy include:

• The severity of feeding difficulties (e.g. sensory sensitivities, restricted diet and oral motor challenges).
• Your child’s pace or progress – every child learns at their own speed
• How well strategies can be carried over at home between sessions

We regularly review progress and adjust the therapy plan as needed. Our goals is to provide your child with the tools they need to develop a positive relationship with food at their own pace. 

How long will each session last?

Each session is planned to be 1 hour long, consisting of a 45 minute therapy session and a 15 minute period to discuss recommendations for completion prior to the next appointment and parental feedback.

Where will my session take place?

Sessions are held at Platt Bridge Health Centre, Rivington Avenue, Wigan, WN2 5NG.

What is your cancellation policy?

• In the event that you need to cancel a session, it is requested that you provide as much notice as possible and contact us at least 48 hours in advance. This allows us to manage our schedules effectively and, if necessary, accommodate other clients during that time.
• In the event of late cancellations (less than 48 hours’ notice) or missed appointments we will be unable to rebook the missed session and no refund will be provided.