Pediatric Feeding
Pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) is a complicated medical condition that requires assessment and treatment by a variety of professionals, including speech and occupational therapists, physicians, dietitians and psychologists. Dr. Austin has spent over 20 years educating, advocating for and supporting families through this confusing process to ensure that kids with PFD are getting ALL of the help they need. Services provided for PFD include:
- Assessment of the role of psychological and behavioral factors in your child’s feeding difficulties. This includes assessment to determine if your child’s feeding difficulties should be considered picky eating, or if they meet criteria for pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). This difference matters!! If your child has PFD but is being treated for ARFID, they may not get better and they could actually get worse.
- Referral to and collaboration with other feeding specialists including speech therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and physicians.
- Individual sessions to provide support and education about feeding challenges in general, and the specific impact of psychosocial factors on your child’s eating (including fear and learned patterns of behavior).
- Support in helping gains made in feeding therapy to transfer to caregivers in the home environment, including virtual visits that allow Dr. Austin to observe and coach you as you feed your child at home.
- Virtual support and education groups that allow caregivers to connect with other families who are facing the lonely and extremely stressful experience of parenting a child with feeding difficulties.
- Not in Texas? No problem (probably)! Dr. Austin can see kids and families via telehealth in 40+ states. Use the contact button below to ask if your state qualifies or see the How We Help page of this website for the PSYPACT map.
Do you live in the North Texas area? Join our in-person feeding group! This is a one-of-a-kind group offering that simultaneously supports parents and children. Parents will work directly with Dr. Austin for education, stress management and connection with other caregivers, while children are engaged in therapeutic mealtime activities with our amazing occupational therapists.
Are you confused, frustrated and lonely in caring for your child with feeding difficulties?
Join Dr. Austin’s virtual caregiver group for information, stress management skills and connection with other families who understand your journey.
Is your child in feeding therapy, but they won’t eat foods for you at home that they eat for the therapist in sessions? This can be very frustrating, but it is also very normal. Dr. Austin has decades of experience in helping families transfer gains in feeding therapy into the home environment. Schedule a session with Dr. Austin for virtual in-home coaching to help your child eat as well for you as they do for their feeding therapist.
PFD Resources
Does your child have a feeding problem or are they just picky?
Learn more about Pediatric Feeding Disorder
Hear Dr. Austin speak about PFD
Feeding articles by Dr. Austin
