Comprehensive Outpatient Feeding Evaluations
The Multidisciplinary Feeding Program offers two-hour comprehensive outpatient evaluations. During an evaluation, our team of experts evaluates the child’s current medical status, feeding skills and parent-child relationship around eating. At the end of the evaluation, the family is given specific recommendations to help the child progress in their feeding abilities, and some children may be recommended to attend our 19-day inpatient feeding program. Learn more about what to expect at an outpatient feeding evaluation.
Individualized Inpatient Care
At CHOC, we are dedicated to providing the very best patient- and family-centered care. The goal of our 19-day inpatient feeding program is to not only teach children how to eat, but to help them and their families enjoy the mealtime experience. As part of this effort, our team is dedicated to providing patients and families with a supportive, compassionate treatment experience. The parent and child work together throughout treatment and are provided gentle encouragement and therapeutic strategies that will forever change their mealtime routines. Our goal is to advance each child’s feeding skills while also improving the relationships within the family that can often become strained from past difficult mealtime experiences. Inpatient treatment includes structured mealtimes, intensive daily sessions with feeding therapists and a psychologist, supportive sessions with a social worker and child life specialists, ongoing medical and nutritional monitoring, and weekly family conferences with the child’s entire care team. Learn more about what to expect at the inpatient CHOC Multidisciplinary Feeding Program.
Referrals
The Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at CHOC is intended to be a “first treatment” for feeding difficulties and is typically recommended after a child has received but not recovered through outpatient therapy. Children can be referred by a physician, feeding therapist or may be self-referred by a legal guardian. Referrals are accepted through email at feedingprogram@choc.org or by phone at (714)-509-4884. Learn more about the referral and eligibility process.