Feeding evaluation and therapy for picky eater - looking for recommendations and advice?

[Anonymous]

Our pediatrician recommended feeding evaluation and therapy for my 2 year old who is a very picky eater, has a limited diet, and has very little interest in food. His older sister is the same way. The waitlist for Children’s is very long and they can’t see him til March. I have a referral in for the Maryland Infants Toddlers program but wonder if it would be better or easier to just find a private therapist to do the evaluation. Does anyone have any experience with this? Our older child also has special needs and I’m exhausted from mealtime and snacktime and constantly trying to get the kids to eat when they just live at the edge of their hunger and aren’t motivated to eat food and hate coming to the table, eating anything new, and only want Mac and cheese.

[Anonymous]

I haven't used Infants and Toddlers for eating issues, but have used them for other issues and have found them to be top notch. I would get on the waiting list at all these places. The list may move faster than they say, and by the time you find an expensive private person to help, you may already be at the top of the list.

[Anonymous]

Kennedy Krieger has a program. We used Childrens but I see you are already on that list. I didn’t find Infants and Toddlers to be helpful but that was awhile ago.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we first worked with a nutritionist to get more high calories foods into DD’s diet, now doing feeding therapy to expand eating. The priority was calories since DD was underweight.

I just googled for private therapists and called around. Much harder to find than I expected. We are in Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

We did OT for feeding issues to help with picky eating. It wasn’t terribly helpful but I am glad I tried. DS ate a few things there but couldn’t translate it to eating outside the therapy session.

We used Pediatric Development Center in Silver Spring bc they took insurance.

[Anonymous]

find an OT or SLP that is training in the SOS Approach to Feeding

Pediatric Development Center does feeding therapy

[Anonymous]

I don't know about how you get the evaluation, but friends' autistic son who was limited in what he would eat (and needed pedialyte b/c his diet was so limited) ended up going to Johns Hopkins for a very intensive program.

It required a parent to be there 9-6 five days a week for six weeks, I think, so you'd need to have an understanding employer and/or be able to afford to take FMLA. Now he eats better than his NT sisters.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about how you get the evaluation, but friends' autistic son who was limited in what he would eat (and needed pedialyte b/c his diet was so limited) ended up going to Johns Hopkins for a very intensive program.

It required a parent to be there 9-6 five days a week for six weeks, I think, so you'd need to have an understanding employer and/or be able to afford to take FMLA. Now he eats better than his NT sisters.