Swallowing Therapy

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Your infant/child may have been diagnosed with dysphagia, which is defined as difficulty swallowing. This condition results from impeded transport of liquids, solids, or both, from the oral cavity to the pharynx and ultimately to the stomach. This can occur for a variety reasons such as prematurity, genetic conditions/syndromes, anatomical and/or physiological conditions, or FUO (for unknown reasons). Your infant/child may be experiencing penetration, aspiration, and/or mismanagement of any liquid or solids.

 

At NJPFA, you will be guided to the best approach for remediating your child's swallowing dysfunction. Dysphagia and resulting/underlying medical complications will be managed while habilitating your child's feeding/swallowing skills. Unlike adults, children, must be taught how to eat and therefore require the most specialized and experienced care during the course of therapy. We will work directly with your medical team to support, communicate, and provide the appropriate skilled course of treatment.

 

At NJPFA, our primary mission is to help ALL infants & children with any degree of feeding and/or swallowing dysfunction. Our goal, at NJPFA, is to provide thoughtful, high quality, goal-driven treatment to address the needs of your child and family. As a previous NICU clinician with 30 years experience and as the director of NJPFA, I can assure you that your child will receive quality care.

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All of our therapists have been trained in the medical, oral motor, behavioral, and sensory aspects of feeding which we will investigate the underlying cause of your child's feeding/swallowing dysfunction. At NJPFA, professional education is key therefore, all of our therapists are trained and certified in the latest approaches and technological advances in the field of dysphagia & feeding therapy. We are certified by ASHA and licensed by the State of NJ. We treat all medical, behavioral, emotional conditions and diagnoses that may impede or complicate mealtime. 

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Our approach to feeding therapy is to support not only the child but the entire family as we understand mealtime struggles do not only occur during your therapy session. Our goal is to provide your child with the necessary framework to promote adequate hydration, caloric intake, texture advancement, food variety & exploration, acceptance & tolerance to novel foods, in a safe, loving, and supportive environment. Our sessions are comprised of 30-45 minute sessions (to be determined by your therapist at the time of your evaluation) and may require 1-2 sessions weekly dependent upon the severity of the disorder. If you feel your child would benefit from our Feeding Intensive, your therapist can discuss your child's candidacy. Please "click" on the hyperlink or visit our Feeding Intensive page located on the main menu.

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If your child has been diagnosed with dysphagia and/or swallowing dysfunction, please call us today so that we can help! 732-698-1100 or feel free to email us at info@njpfa.com

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