Little Man, Big Appetite!

Back in the beginning of the summer, Avery had been referred to an occupational therapist for his feeding issues. It was at a rehabilitation center in Springfield, and he was only allowed 6 weeks per his insurance. By the end of the 6 weeks, he still had sensory issues, still could not self feed, and still could only tolerate puréed baby food. Possibly the biggest waste of time. Then, at his 15 month checkup, he was referred to early intervention for both his speech and feeding. It was a long process, but Avery officially started his therapy sessions for feeding the week before Thanksgiving. I was a bit skeptical, but had heard lots of great stories from family and friends so I kept an open mind and kept the positive thoughts flowing. 

Here we are now, four weeks later, and I am happy and proud to say that we have made HUGE improvements! In only four weeks, Avery has gone from not being able to tolerate any texture at all in his food to eating everything from scrambled eggs to peanut butter toast to pork roast! His sensory issues have improved as he has been exploring different textures, and he also has been doing great with learning to self feed. He does get frustrated with it at times, but he doesn’t give up. 

Eating two of his favorites - pasta and green beans!! 

As for his speech, the EI supervisor put in a request last week for Avery to hopefully start receiving speech therapy soon. They don’t want to overload him all at once with two different therapists, so we will slowly transition from feeding to speech when they feel he is ready. In the meantime, the therapist he has now is helping us with simple sign language. At his last appointment, she showed us the sign for the word “more”. I practiced with him all week and I am so excited to say that Avery can now tell us when he wants more food or drink by signing! I can’t even begin to explain how helpful this can be when you have a nonverbal child. There have been many frustrating moments during meal times because we had no idea what he wanted. The next sign we will be working on will be for the word “eat”. 

For anyone reading this that may be considering early intervention for their child, I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed. I am so thankful that we were paired up with such an awesome group of therapists this time around. Avery loves working with Miss Doreen, and it makes my heart happy to have her be a part of this journey, and to watch all of the improvements Avery has been making.