What Is a Feeding Disorder?
Feeding difficulties are often misunderstood as “picky eating” or a child being stubborn. In reality, feeding challenges can be complex and may involve medical, sensory, oral motor, developmental, behavioural, or emotional factors.
Children may struggle with:
- Refusing to eat certain foods or entire food groups
- Difficulty transitioning to solids
- Gagging, coughing, or choking concerns
- Oral aversion or fear of eating
- Extreme picky eating
- Limited food variety
- Difficulty chewing or managing textures
- Bottle dependence
- Difficulty drinking from cups or straws
- Mealtime anxiety and distress
- Feeding challenges associated with autism, ADHD, developmental delays, or sensory processing differences
Our Approach
At Strive, we take a responsive, child-led approach to feeding therapy. We believe that children learn best when they feel safe, regulated, and supported.
Our feeding therapist works closely with families to identify the factors contributing to feeding difficulties and develop an individualized plan that respects each child’s unique needs.
Therapy may focus on:
- Building positive experiences with food
- Oral motor skill development
- Sensory exploration and food play
- Increasing food acceptance and variety
- Self-feeding skills
- Cup and straw drinking skills
- Mealtime routines and family support
- Caregiver coaching and education
We recognize that feeding challenges rarely exist in isolation and often require collaboration with other healthcare professionals.
Building an Interdisciplinary Feeding Service
Strive is proud to be developing one of the first dedicated paediatric feeding services in the Cayman Islands.
While our clinic is currently led by a feeding therapist, we strongly believe in a collaborative approach to care. When appropriate, we may recommend consultation with other professionals such as:
- Pediatricians
- Gastroenterologists
- Dietitians
- Occupational Therapists
- Psychologists
- ENTs (Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists)
- Dentists and Orthodontists
Our vision is to continue growing our feeding service to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary support for children and families across the Cayman Islands.
What to Expect
Initial Feeding Assessment
During your child’s assessment, we will:
- Review medical and developmental history
- Discuss feeding concerns and goals
- Assess oral motor and feeding skills
- Observe mealtime interactions
- Evaluate sensory responses to food
- Identify factors that may be impacting feeding
Following the assessment, families receive individualized recommendations and a treatment plan tailored to their child’s needs.
Ongoing Therapy
Therapy sessions are designed to be engaging, supportive, and child-centred. Parents and caregivers play an important role throughout the process and are provided with practical strategies to implement at home.
Strive is more than a therapy practice – it’s a place where care meets commitment, and where every small step forward is celebrated.
Who Can Benefit?
Our Feeding Clinic supports children who:
- Are not meeting age-appropriate feeding milestones
- Have difficulty progressing through food textures
- Eat a very limited range of foods
- Experience stress or anxiety around mealtimes
- Have oral motor or sensory feeding difficulties
- Have feeding challenges related to autism or other developmental differences
- Require support with self-feeding skills
- Need guidance transitioning away from bottles or other feeding supports
We believe every child deserves the opportunity to develop a positive relationship with food and that every family deserves support throughout their feeding journey.
Our mission is to provide compassionate, evidence-based feeding therapy while helping families build confidence, reduce mealtime stress, and create enjoyable feeding experiences that last a lifetime.
If you have concerns about your child’s eating, feeding skills, or mealtime behaviours, we’re here to help.
Contact Strive today to schedule a feeding assessment and take the first step toward more positive mealtimes.
