Perspectives on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia) · 2011 · 61 citations · 9 references
MedicineNutritionNutritional SciencesChild DevelopmentChild NutritionPediatric NutritionChild FeedingFeeding DifficultiesFeeding DisordersFeeding ProblemsFeeding RehabilitationIntake AssessmentChild Feeding AssessmentFeeding Problem ManagementFeeding Skill AcquisitionGrowth Curve ConstructionOral Feeding SkillsOral Sensory FunctionPediatric Feeding TherapyTransdisciplinary Learning
The Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to Feeding (The SOS Approach) is a transdisciplinary program designed to assess and address the reasons why a child is struggling to eat. Assessment occurs across seven different areas of human function involved in the process of learning to eat: organs, muscles, sensory, learning, development, nutrition, and environment. The SOS Approach uses a whole child perspective, integrating sensory, motor, oral-motor, behavioral/learning, medical, and nutritional factors for both assessment and intervention, resulting in strategies to comprehensively evaluate and manage children with feeding/growth problems. Success is determined by (a) intrinsically motivated and sustained interest in trying new foods, (b) enjoyment in and appropriate skills for eating and drinking a wide range of age-appropriate foods and fluids; (c) consumption of sufficient calories for optimal growth along a child's own percentile line on a growth curve, and (d) improved family understanding and functioning during mealtimes for the development of healthy relationships with food and each other.
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