At Newbridge, we use the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding. This form of feeding therapy is a playful, non-invasive approach designed to gradually increase a child’s comfort engaging with foods of varied colors, textures, smells and tastes. It is based on developmental principles, encouraging children to engage in a play with non-preferred foods, gradually working toward comfort with tasting, chewing and eating previously “unsafe” foods. 

The progression starts with the child learning to tolerate being in the same room with the food, and then to smelling, touching, tasting and finally chewing and swallowing. It may take several sessions to help the child move up the hierarchy with a given food, but as the child gains confidence with several previously unsafe foods, they’ll feel safer adding others. Parents and/or Caregivers are key to this intervention, as their participation is essential in carrying progress over to the home and other settings. This approach is used once other biomedical and sensory issues have been addressed and it appears that a narrow food repertoire is due to oral sensory issues.