Explore My Services

In Home and Virtual

Occupational Therapy Feeding Treatment

in home pediatric occupational therapy orange county

  • Conducting comprehensive assessments to identify feeding challenges, sensory differences, and developmental milestones to create personalized therapy plans.

  • Designing and implementing individualized feeding therapy programs that may include strategies for improving oral motor skills, texture progression, and self-feeding abilities.

  • Utilizing sensory integration theory, regulation techniques, and environmental modifications to help children better process and respond to various sensory experiences related to food, enhancing their comfort and motivation to eat.

  • Providing occupational therapy consultations, training, and resources for parents, caregivers, and community providers who work with children with developmental disabilities. This may include physicians, dentists, school staff, and other professionals who support children at home, in school, and across community settings.

What I Offer

I tailor feeding treatment to your child’s unique needs, taking into account their medical history, developmental stage, and specific feeding challenges. By using a comprehensive, individualized approach, I promise to collaborate with you to create strategies that promote safe and enjoyable mealtime experiences for everyone involved.

occupational therapy for child with pediatric feeding disorder

Who I serve

I serve Orange County families through in-home and community-based services, the entire state of California through telehealth services, and nationwide through virtual consult services. Feeding can look different for every child. My practice specializes in comprehensive feeding therapy for children starting at 6 months, addressing oral motor difficulties, sensory processing differences, the transition to solid foods, self-feeding skills, and more.

I have experience in treating children with the following:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

  • Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

  • Sensory Modulation Dysfunction

  • Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Intellectual Disability

  • Developmental Delay

  • Those with feeding tubes

  • Delayed oral motor skills

  • Congenital Heart Defects (CHD)

  • Developmental Coordination Disorder /Dyspraxia

  • Trisomy 21 / Down Syndrome

  • Other various genetic conditions

It is important to recognize that children with complex medical diagnoses and feeding challenges often require an interdisciplinary care team. This may include a medical provider (such as a developmental pediatrician, gastroenterologist, or nurse practitioner), otolaryngologist (ENT), registered dietitian (RD), oral motor specialist (such as a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist), craniofacial specialist, psychologist, or dentist to establish safe feeding practices and manage feeding disorders effectively as needed. As an occupational therapy provider, I will ensure that I refer out to and/or collaborate with additional providers when necessary, prioritizing your family’s goals and child’s safety, development, and growth to the best of my ability.

When should families seek feeding intervention?

Consider pursuing a feeding evaluation with a specialist(s) if your child shows combinations of the following symptoms that impact their ability to participate in mealtimes in a developmentally appropriate manner:

Safety & Medical Concerns:

  • Coughing or choking while eating, which may indicate struggles with swallowing safely

  • Frequent vomiting or spitting up during or after meals

  • Frequent respiratory infections or pneumonia

  • Food or liquid coming out of their nose during feeding

  • Difficulty gaining weight or not meeting growth expectations despite adequate feeding attempts

Oral Motor & Coordination Challenges:

  • Trouble coordinating sucking, swallowing, and breathing

  • Difficulty chewing and swallowing solid foods, leading to prolonged mealtimes or food avoidance

  • Excessive drooling during or between meals

  • Poor lip closure, making it hard to keep food or liquids in their mouth

  • Limited tongue mobility, making it hard to move food around in the mouth

  • Reduced or hypersensitive gag reflex

  • Pocketing food in the cheeks rather than swallowing

Developmental & Self-Feeding Skills:

  • Struggling to transition from purees to solid foods

  • Difficulty sitting up or maintaining posture during meals

  • Difficulty self-feeding, such as trouble picking up finger food or bringing food to the mouth, with or without utensils

  • Difficulty using utensils such as loading spoons and forks with food

  • Struggling with cup drinking

  • Difficulty drinking from a straw

Sensory & Behavioral Patterns:

  • Refusing whole food groups or textures

  • Gagging when food is introduced

  • Hypersensitivity to food textures, tastes, or temperatures

  • Meals that take longer than 30 minutes

  • Mealtimes are stressful for you and your child

Testimonials from Caregivers

  • Therapy was a new concept to my family, but after just a few months, even my parents started commenting on how they’ve noticed such an improvement with my daughter’s behavior. 

    “Teresa Cao is an amazing, professional, empathetic, patient, and knowledgeable therapist! My child first started occupational therapy at age 4 with Teresa.  To name a few, my child had trouble self-regulating, difficulty with new experiences, trouble being independent, and refused to try new foods, especially vegetables.  Teresa did a very thorough assessment on my daughter and explained her approach and methods, along with my goals for my daughter.  Right from the beginning, even though my daughter did not want to try certain activities, she always looked forward to and enjoyed her therapy sessions and time with Teresa.  Teresa was always great at finding a different way to present something new and switching things up to cater to what my daughter needed.  I’ll always remember how my daughter wanted to have blonde hair like Rapunzel, and one day I picked her up and she was so excited she got to play dress-up with Teresa.  Teresa had clipped a yellow garland to her hair and she got to climb up “Rapunzel’s tower.”  That is just one of many examples in which Teresa would go out of her way to make things fun and exciting for my daughter.  

    We noticed she was more confident and interactive with others.  She also did not have any tantrums or outbursts when something went wrong or when there was a change to her routine.  She was more independent and would dress herself and put on her own shoes.  Later, my daughter also worked on feeding therapy with Teresa and she was willing to at least try or taste different foods.  Occupational therapy with Teresa was instrumental to my daughter’s development and became the foundation that allowed her to succeed in school and extracurricular activities.

    My daughter was not the only person to develop a strong relationship with Teresa.  Throughout the process, I was always included and kept well-informed of my daughter’s progress along with what Teresa was working on and how each activity was conducive to our goals.  Teresa always took the time to answer my questions or address any new concerns I had.  It’s easy to tell how much she loves her job because she even offered to answer questions regarding other kids who were not her current patients.  To this day, Teresa still checks in on my daughter and is available to answer any of our questions.  

    We’ve had the opportunity to work with other occupational therapists and although the therapy sessions still went well, I have to say that the experience with Teresa was unmatched.  Teresa is truly a gem and her passion shines bright!”

    -Parent of a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder

  • Perhaps what I appreciated most was her neurodiversity-affirming approach, allowing the child to lead and focusing on each child’s strengths and interests.

    “My boys were always SO excited to go see ‘Miss Teresa.’ My kids went from consistently being dysregulated whenever they played or got too excited and scaring off potential playmates, to being able to calm themselves down and make friends. Both of my sons have mouth breathing issues and Teresa was knowledgeable about oral motor supports that would help alleviate the sensory sensitivities that resulted from it. She was a great communicator and collaborator, and I always felt that my input as a parent was sought out and welcomed. Our family is so grateful for all the help she has given us and the amazing improvements we have witnessed!”

    -Parent of a Child with Autism

  • Teresa was careful to hear what we shared as parents and pair it with her professional assessment and skills. She was great at educating us as well as providing therapy for L so that we all felt like part of the same team.

    “We had such a positive experience with Teresa! At our first appointment, she jumped right in with a playful approach as if she’d known L (4 years old) forever. Teresa had a thoughtful way of explaining OT concepts to us parents, to understand and use at home—all the while keeping L safe as he played, climbed, and jumped. Our sessions were filled with joy, learning, and so much laughter.

    Teresa did a wonderful job of communicating L’s progress, and better yet offering a good sense of reasonable, achievable goals—how certain smaller steps combine into larger changes over time. She was always approachable and responsive to our questions and concerns. With Teresa’s help we learned the science behind what L experiences and skills to support. He has made major progress in our most challenging areas and grown in so many more ways. Each time we met, we left with at least a couple of things to try in terms of addressing immediate concerns and would check in about them the following visit. We would absolutely recommend Teresa Cao’s services to everyone! She is truly excellent at what she does and we are so lucky to have worked with her.”

    -Parent of a Child with Autism

Ready to get started?

Schedule a free 15 minute consultation

Start here!

Receive an OT evaluation

Choose the therapy package that works best for you

Package Details

Receive exceptional care for you and your child

Have a Question? Please ask!