Our aim with these courses is to present information to help feeding therapists understand children’s behaviors around food (especially anxiety and disruptive behaviors), how to use positive intervention strategies to modify these behaviors, and to make long-lasting changes to their feeding. Another goal is to assist you with teaching parents these strategies, helping them overcome obstacles in place, and making your therapy goals generalize to the home setting. Therapists will be able to integrate these strategies into their tool kits and are not likely to contradict your training, no matter your background. In the end, we know we will learn from each of you also.
Course includes:
- 6 weekly sessions, one hour each via Zoom
- Workbook (PDF) that follows the course content. Hardcopy available upon request
- 6 weekly Q&A sessions (not included in instructional time for ASHA CEUs)
- 3 individual one hour consultation sessions with the instructor (not included in instructional time for ASHA CEUs)
Continuing Education Units
Mealtime Rediscovered is a 6-week course aimed to review behavioral concepts that apply to current feeding therapies used by speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists. These are positive approaches that can assist therapists with parent education about feeding disorders, managing challenging behavior at mealtimes and generalization of strategies to the home setting. We aim to create full collaborative care across all therapists who work with children with Pediatric Feeding Disorders.
Dates and Times:
Courses to start Summer 2024
Each course contains 6 sessions.
Course completion equals:
6 contact hours
0.6 ASHA CEUs
CEUs for occupational therapists and psychologists will be available in Summer 2024.
No partial credit will be given.
Course Learning Outcomes
- Identify behavioral concepts related to feeding disorders
- Apply behavioral concepts to current common feeding therapies
- Design feeding strategies with evidenced based research and quantifiable treatment goals.
Course Completion Requirements
Certificate of completion will be awarded upon completion of the following three items:
- Attendance: Learners must attend the entirety of all 60 minute sessions to complete the course.
- You are required to complete a 10-question multiple choice post-test at the end of the 6 – session course. This is due 14 days following the completion of the course. You must earn at least an 80% to earn your certificate of completion.
- A full course evaluation is due 14 days following the completion of the course.
Policies and Procedures
Cancellations
- Cancellation by learners: Participants must contact the instructor by phone or email if they cannot attend a session. The instructor will offer a live make-up session to the learner.
- Cancellation by instructor: The instructor will contact each participant by email and/or phone to notify learners if a session has to be cancelled. The instructor will offer a live make-up session to all participants.
Refunds
- Partial: A refund may be requested if a session(s) is/are unable to be made up. This request must be made in writing via email within 7 days of missing the session. The refund will be based on the amount of the course that was not completed.
- Full: Full refunds will only be provided if the course was registered for but prior to beginning, the participant is unable to attend. This request must be made in writing via email within 3 days of the start of the course.
- Refunds will be provided within 7 days of receiving the valid request.
- If a refund is provided, no CEUs will be provided.
Target Audience
This course is for occupational therapists, speech-language pathologist and psychologists working with children with feeding disorders.
Instructional Method & Educational Level
- Courses are presented on line via Zoom– links will be provided following registration.
- Slides, a workbook, class discussion and activities, question and answer sessions, and homework will facilitate learning.
- Educational level – Intermediate.
Accommodations
Anyone requiring special accommodations must contact the instructor (in writing via email, or by phone) at least 14 days prior to the start of the course.
Complaints
Any concerns regarding providers or course content will be taken seriously. You can request to speak with an Advisory Board member regarding your concerns by providing them in writing. You will receive a response within 2 weeks of submitting your request. Please submit your request not later than 2 weeks following the course completion.
Disclosures
Financial Disclosures
Mealtime Rediscovered is an 6-week course run through Kimberly Brown, PhD, Psychological Services, PLLC. Kimberly Brown is the owner and instructor. Kimberly Brown pays herself a salary from conducting this course.
Nonfinancial Disclosures
Kimberly Brown holds a voluntary appointment of Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY.
Session Descriptions
Session 1: Defining Feeding Disorders and Behavioral Basics
Discussing the intricacies of diagnosis and how the foundations of behavioral principles affect feeding.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify the different diagnostic criteria for feeding disorders (including Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).
- Assess how behavioral concepts are related to feeding assessment across disciplines.
- Apply at least one behavioral concept to treatment of family and children with feeding disorders in your practice.
Session 2: Ecological Assessment and the Mealtime Environment
How we help families establish set guidelines and rules around mealtimes, including setting up mealtime schedules
Learning Outcomes
- Name one new strategy to assist children with sitting and/or self-feeding at mealtimes.
- Name three antecedent strategies to improve mealtime structure and prevent disruptive mealtime behaviors
- Apply ecological assessment to evaluate lack of structure in the mealtime environment at home.
Session 3: Positive Interactions and Expectations Around Food
Making mealtimes enjoyable for everyone by adjusting expectations to what children are capable of and how to phrase directions that result in participation.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe the impact of positive vs negative interactions on parent-child relationship.
- Demonstrate two effective directions to encourage children to participate in feeding therapy.
- Determine how appropriate expectations result in positive outcomes of parental compliance in feeding therapy.
Session 4: Positive Reinforcement
Understanding what it is, why it’s important, how to make it work, and how to know when it won’t work.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply concepts of positive and negative reinforcement to feeding intervention.
- Analyze the pros and cons of using reinforcement and how to assess its effectiveness.
- Utilize the rules of reinforcement to build an appropriate reward system.
Session 5: Shaping
Understanding the behavioral concept behind the steps to eating and how to use it systematically for optimal results
Learning Outcomes
- Explain concepts of shaping procedures (i.e., systematic desensitization) to introduce new foods.
- Break down the correlation between shaping and similar feeding strategies (i.e., Sequential oral sensory approach).
- Analyze pros and cons of using shaping with children and families.
- Design a shaping strategy to reduce anxiety and sensory issues surrounding trying new foods.
Session 6: Fading
Understanding the behavioral concept behind food chaining and how to use it to treat extreme food selectivity
Learning Outcomes
- Define behavioral concept of fading and how it relates to food chaining.
- Analyze the steps needed to make fading/food chaining work.
- Build a food chain.
- Develop a plan to generalize therapeutic progress into the home setting.
Pricing
Courses include 6 sessions, weekly Q&A sessions, a course workbook and 3 individual coaching sessions for $895.
15% discount offered for groups of 8+.