Pediatric Feeding & Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Support for children with feeding difficulties, extreme picky eating, oral-motor coordination challenges, tongue posture disorders, and swallowing difficulties — serving Rawalpindi, Askari, DHA, and Islamabad.
Types of Feeding & Orofacial Problems
Sensory-Based Feeding Difficulties
Children with heightened or reduced oral sensory sensitivity may refuse entire food textures, temperatures, or flavours. Our therapists use systematic sensory desensitisation and food chaining strategies.
Oral-Motor / Chewing Difficulties
Weak or discoordinated oral-motor movements affect chewing efficiency and safe swallowing. We target tongue lateralisation, jaw grading, and lip closure through targeted exercises.
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD)
OMDs include tongue thrust, mouth breathing, low tongue posture, and prolonged dummy/thumb sucking that affect dental development, speech, and sleep. OMT is a specialised therapy addressing these patterns.
Dysphagia (Swallowing Difficulties)
Paediatric dysphagia involves difficulty safely moving food or liquid through the mouth and throat. It can be life-threatening if untreated and requires thorough clinical assessment.
When to Seek Feeding Therapy
- Refuses entire food groups or specific textures (extremely picky eating)
- Gagging, vomiting, or major distress at mealtimes
- Slow eating, pocketing food in cheeks, or spitting out food
- Drooling excessively beyond the expected age
- Mouth breathing, snoring, or teeth grinding (signs of OMD)
- Coughing or choking when eating or drinking
- Currently on a feeding tube and working toward oral feeding
How We Help
- Comprehensive oral-motor and feeding assessment
- Sensory-based feeding therapy — systematic introduction of new foods and textures
- Food chaining to expand dietary variety from accepted to novel foods
- Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) — tongue posture, lip seal, nasal breathing
- Dysphagia management with texture modification guidance (IDDSI framework)
- Enteral feeding / tube weaning programmes
- Mealtime environment restructuring and positive mealtime coaching
- Liaison with paediatricians and dietitians for multidisciplinary management
Common Questions About Feeding Therapy
Is picky eating normal or a medical problem?
Some degree of food selectivity is developmentally normal. However, when a child eats fewer than 20 foods, refuses entire food groups, has significant mealtime distress, or is failing to thrive nutritionally, a professional feeding assessment is indicated.
At what age should we seek feeding therapy?
Feeding concerns can be addressed from birth (e.g., breastfeeding difficulties) through childhood. We assess and treat children of all ages. Earlier intervention generally leads to better and faster outcomes.
What is orofacial myofunctional therapy and who needs it?
OMT is a specialised programme for correcting oral rest posture, tongue thrust, mouth breathing, and related patterns. It's beneficial for children who breathe through their mouth, have open-bite dental issues, tongue ties, or ongoing speech problems related to tongue placement.
Do you work with children on feeding tubes?
Yes. We have experience with tube-dependent children (NG and PEG) and offer structured, medically supervised oral feeding programmes aimed at transitioning children to full oral feeding where appropriate.
Make Mealtimes Stress-Free Again
Serving families from Askari, DHA, Bahria Town, Gulshan Abad, Khawaja Corporation, and central Rawalpindi & Islamabad.