Feeding Therapy

SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Feeding Solutions

A Play-Based Approach

For parents of children on the autism spectrum or with sensory processing or sensory motor differences who face feeding challenges, SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Feeding Therapy at Growing Healthy Seasons is the feeding therapy program that turns mealtime stress into joyful progress through playful, step-by-step sensory and oral motor activities because our SOS-certified therapists combine multidisciplinary expertise, clear milestones and over 30 years of research to guide each child to lasting confidence and independence.

A Play-Based Approach

For parents of children on the autism spectrum or with sensory processing or sensory motor differences who face feeding challenges, SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Feeding Therapy at Growing Healthy Seasons is the feeding therapy program that turns mealtime stress into joyful progress through playful, step-by-step sensory and oral motor activities because our SOS-certified therapists combine multidisciplinary expertise, clear milestones and over 30 years of research to guide each child to lasting confidence and independence.

What is Feeding Therapy?

Feeding therapy is specialized support that helps children and adults develop safe, confident and varied eating skills. It is usually provided by speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, dietitians and other feeding specialists. These experts assess how the lips, tongue and jaw move, how your child responds to different textures and tastes, the impact of postural or motor challenges, and how learned mealtime behaviors affect eating. The goal is to uncover barriers to eating and introduce fun, targeted activities that build strength, tolerance and enjoyment of food.

let’s get started

What is Feeding Therapy?

Feeding therapy is specialized support that helps children and adults develop safe, confident and varied eating skills. It is usually provided by speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, dietitians and other feeding specialists. These experts assess how the lips, tongue and jaw move, how your child responds to different textures and tastes, the impact of postural or motor challenges, and how learned mealtime behaviors affect eating. The goal is to uncover barriers to eating and introduce fun, targeted activities that build strength, tolerance and enjoyment of food.

let’s get started

Our Approach:
SOS Feeding Therapy

The SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) approach helps children learn to interact with and enjoy a wider variety of foods by addressing the underlying factors that contribute to feeding difficulties.

Our Approach:
SOS Feeding Therapy

The SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) approach helps children learn to interact with and enjoy a wider variety of foods by addressing the underlying factors that contribute to feeding difficulties.

SOS Feeding Therapy is a comprehensive feeding therapy approach that focuses on a child’s sensory, motor, and behavioral responses to food. This approach guides your child through six gentle, play-based steps, starting with simply tolerating a food’s presence and ending with independent chewing and swallowing.

Our SOS-certified therapists bring together sensory play, oral-motor exercises, a range of foods from each nutritional category, and emotional support in every session. You will learn hands-on strategies to use at home, so progress continues at every meal.

Toleration

Clients begin by noticing new foods, using touch and smell exercises to build comfort with unfamiliar items. This stage reduces anxiety by focusing on sensory exploration through playful activities.

Interaction

Clients handle and play with foods using utensils or hands, sorting or arranging items to learn safe contact and spark curiosity before tasting.

Relation

Foods move closer to the mouth while clients link visual, tactile and olfactory cues to taste, building positive associations and understanding of eating sensations.

Load

Clients take initial licks or tiny bites, focusing on small amounts to foster confidence and reduce sensory overwhelm.

Swallow

Clients practice chewing and swallowing small bites with therapist guidance on safe techniques, reinforcing oral motor skills in real-feeding contexts.

Independence

Clients eat targeted foods confidently in everyday meals with minimal prompts, marking readiness for self-directed feeding.

let’s get started

Toleration

Clients begin by noticing new foods, using touch and smell exercises to build comfort with unfamiliar items. This stage reduces anxiety by focusing on sensory exploration through playful activities.

Interaction

Clients handle and play with foods using utensils or hands, sorting or arranging items to learn safe contact and spark curiosity before tasting.

Relation

Foods move closer to the mouth while clients link visual, tactile and olfactory cues to taste, building positive associations and understanding of eating sensations.

Load

Clients take initial licks or tiny bites, focusing on small amounts to foster confidence and reduce sensory overwhelm.

Swallow

Clients practice chewing and swallowing small bites with therapist guidance on safe techniques, reinforcing oral motor skills in real-feeding contexts.

Independence

Clients eat targeted foods confidently in everyday meals with minimal prompts, marking readiness for self-directed feeding.

let’s get started

Families and clinicians trust the SOS Feeding Therapy approach.

SOS treats the whole child by addressing sensory needs, oral-motor skills, nutrition and emotions all in one plan. It’s clear step-by-step progression lets your child move at their own pace and celebrate every small win. Play-based activities keep mealtime positive, while measurable milestones show real progress. With over 30 years of research behind it and a collaborative team guiding you, SOS Feeding Therapy offers a trusted, evidence-driven path to help your child build confidence, nutritional health and lifelong mealtime independence.

Whole-Child Focus

We support the whole child, not just mealtimes. Our team of occupational and speech therapists work together to address sensory processing differences, oral motor skills and emotions. We also collaborate with your medical team, including doctors, dietitians, and mental health providers so every layer of feeding success is covered.

Play-Based Progression

We make progress playful and pressure free. Kids move through gentle, play-based steps, starting with tolerating the presence of a new food and moving to chewing and swallowing at their own pace. Celebrating each small win helps turn mealtime into a relaxed, joyful part of the day.

Evidence-Driven Results

We build on more than 30 years of proven research.
Dozens of published studies support the SOS method’s step-by-step framework. That means you can feel confident you are choosing an approach families and clinicians trust. For more information, see The SOS Approach to Feeding Core Principles – White Paper.

Whole-Child Focus

We support the whole child, not just mealtimes. Our team of occupational and speech therapists work together to address sensory processing differences, oral motor skills and emotions. We also collaborate with your medical team, including doctors, dietitians, and mental health providers so every layer of feeding success is covered.

Play-Based Progression

We make progress playful and pressure free. Kids move through gentle, play-based steps, starting with tolerating the presence of a new food and moving to chewing and swallowing at their own pace. Celebrating each small win helps turn mealtime into a relaxed, joyful part of the day.

Evidence-Driven Results

We build on more than 30 years of proven research.
Dozens of published studies support the SOS method’s step-by-step framework. That means you can feel confident you are choosing an approach families and clinicians trust. For more information, see The SOS Approach to Feeding Core Principles – White Paper.

Is SOS Feeding Therapy Right for My Child?

Look for these key features when choosing a feeding therapy approach. If most boxes apply, SOS Feeding Therapy could be the best fit for your child:

A team that treats the whole child, covering sensory needs, oral-motor skills, nutrition and emotions in one plan
A clear step-by-step progression so your child moves at their own pace from tolerating the presence of new foods to chewing and swallowing
Play-based activities that make mealtime a positive learning experience instead of a battleground
Hands-on coaching for parents and caregivers with practical strategies you can use at every meal
Measurable milestones tied to each feeding skill so you can celebrate real progress
More than 30 years of published research supporting the method’s safety and success
A multi-disciplinary team of occupational and speech therapists working together and collaborating with your medical team
Supportive guidance that addresses behavior as well as sensory and oral-motor challenges

If these are the qualities you want, SOS Feeding Therapy offers a trusted, research-driven path to help your child build confidence and independence at mealtimes.

let’s get started

Is SOS Feeding Therapy Right for My Child?

Look for these key features when choosing a feeding therapy approach. If most boxes apply, SOS Feeding Therapy could be the best fit for your child:

A team that treats the whole child, covering sensory needs, oral-motor skills, nutrition and emotions in one plan
A clear step-by-step progression so your child moves at their own pace from tolerating the presence of new foods to chewing and swallowing
Play-based activities that make mealtime a positive learning experience instead of a battleground
Hands-on coaching for parents and caregivers with practical strategies you can use at every meal
Measurable milestones tied to each feeding skill so you can celebrate real progress
More than 30 years of published research supporting the method’s safety and success
A multi-disciplinary team of occupational and speech therapists working together and collaborating with your medical team
Supportive guidance that addresses behavior as well as sensory and oral-motor challenges

let’s get started

Feeding Therapy Approaches: A Side-by-Side Comparison

If most of your answers line up with “Yes” under SOS Feeding Therapy, it’s likely the best fit for your family.

Feature	SOS Feeding Therapy	Behavioral (ABA-based)	Oral-motor strengthening	Sensory integration	Ellyn Satter’s Model
A team that treats the whole child: sensory needs, oral-motor skills, nutrition and emotions in one plan		NO	NO	NO	NO
A clear step-by-step progression so your child moves at their own pace from touching new foods to chewing and swallowing		NO	NO	NO	NO
Play-based activities that make mealtime a positive learning experience instead of a battleground		NO	NO		NO
Hands-on coaching for parents and caregivers with practical strategies you can use at every meal		NO	NO	NO
Measurable milestones tied to each feeding skill so you can celebrate real progress			NO	NO	NO
More than 30 years of published research supporting the method’s safety and success		NO	NO	NO
A multi-disciplinary team of occupational and speech therapists, working together and collaborating with your medical team		NO	NO	NO	NO
Supportive guidance that addresses behavior as well as sensory and oral-motor challenges		NO	NO	NO	NO

Sensory Integration: NO

Ellyn Satter’s Model: NO

Why SOS Feeding Therapy works for families:

In this nurturing space, a multidisciplinary team collaborates to provide comprehensive support, encompassing a wide range of developmental areas.

Behavioral (ABA-based) Approaches
ABA focuses on shaping eating behaviors with rewards and rules. We expand on that by addressing sensory processing, oral-motor skills, nutrition and emotional well-being all at once. That whole-child focus helps kids learn to enjoy meals, build foundational skills, and tune into their own bodies rather than just follow eating guidelines.
Oral-Motor Strengthening
Programs like the Beckman Approach build jaw and tongue strength through exercises. We weave those exercises into playful, real-life feeding activities. Children gain muscle control and confidence as they move food from plate to mouth during everyday meals.
Sensory Integration Methods
Sensory play helps children explore new textures, smells and temperatures. We connect each activity to one of our six Steps to Eating so every tolerance milestone moves a child closer to chewing, swallowing and independent feeding.
Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility
Satter’s model sets clear roles for parents and children around what, when and where to eat. We build on that by adding hands-on, play-based steps and expert skill-based coaching for children and their caregivers so even the most reluctant eaters make steady progress and families feel supported.

let’s get started

Why SOS Feeding Therapy works for families:

In this nurturing space, a multidisciplinary team collaborates to provide comprehensive support, encompassing a wide range of developmental areas.

Behavioral (ABA-based) Approaches
ABA focuses on shaping eating behaviors with rewards and rules. We expand on that by addressing sensory processing, oral-motor skills, nutrition and emotional well-being all at once. That whole-child focus helps kids learn to enjoy meals, build foundational skills, and tune into their own bodies rather than just follow eating guidelines.
Oral-Motor Strengthening
Programs like the Beckman Approach build jaw and tongue strength through exercises. We weave those exercises into playful, real-life feeding activities. Children gain muscle control and confidence as they move food from plate to mouth during everyday meals.
Sensory Integration Methods
Sensory play helps children explore new textures, smells and temperatures. We connect each activity to one of our six Steps to Eating so every tolerance milestone moves a child closer to chewing, swallowing and independent feeding.
Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility
Satter’s model sets clear roles for parents and children around what, when and where to eat. We build on that by adding hands-on, play-based steps and expert skill-based coaching for children and their caregivers so even the most reluctant eaters make steady progress and families feel supported.

let’s get started

Let’s Get Started

Complete the form below and we will help you determine what type of services will support your family best.

Feeding Therapy

SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Feeding Solutions

A Play-Based Approach

A Play-Based Approach

What is Feeding Therapy?

What is Feeding Therapy?

Our Approach: SOS Feeding Therapy

The SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) approach helps children learn to interact with and enjoy a wider variety of foods by addressing the underlying factors that contribute to feeding difficulties.

Our Approach: SOS Feeding Therapy

The SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) approach helps children learn to interact with and enjoy a wider variety of foods by addressing the underlying factors that contribute to feeding difficulties.

Toleration

Interaction

Relation

Load

Swallow

Independence

Toleration

Interaction

Relation

Load

Swallow

Independence

Families and clinicians trust the SOS Feeding Therapy approach.

Whole-Child Focus

Play-Based Progression

Evidence-Driven Results

Whole-Child Focus

Play-Based Progression

Evidence-Driven Results

Is SOS Feeding Therapy Right for My Child?

Is SOS Feeding Therapy Right for My Child?

Feeding Therapy Approaches: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Feeding Therapy Approaches: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Why SOS Feeding Therapy works for families:

Why SOS Feeding Therapy works for families:

Let’s Get Started

Title

Our Approach:
SOS Feeding Therapy

Our Approach:
SOS Feeding Therapy