I am a pediatric feeding therapist. My background is in pediatric occupational therapy and I am a practicing OT at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). I also see clients privately around the Los Angeles area. I have extensive training in identification and treatment of feeding and swallowing disorders. In particular, I assess and tr
eat oral motor and feeding/swallowing difficulties, lactation issues, feeding aversion, and picky eating from birth through childhood. I specialize in infant and toddler feeding development. I am also certified in Sensory Integration. I work withall children from the very medically fragile, to children with autism or congenital anomalies, to typically developing children who are just “picky.”
In addition to being a therapist, I am also the proud mother of a beautiful baby who is growing like a weed! Motherhood has taught me so much, including humility and how to cue in to my child instead of all the vast amounts of information on how I should be parenting my child. From my experiences as a mother and through the years of working with a variety of families, I have come to the conclusion that there are so many ways to feed our children and ourselves and very few “wrong” ways to do so. Because there are so many ways to nourish our families, I am all about working within the context of your family’s priorities and goals in order to figure out what is functional for you. I want to empower you, as a parent to feed your child and feel good about mealtimes.
Lastly, I strongly believe that all children should be respected and listened to. Children want to eat and they want to please their parents. When they won’t or can’t, there is generally a barrier there that needs to be identified and broken down. Sometimes it is simple, often it is multi-facetted and complex. Generally there are things that the child must learn and master but there are also elements that the parents will need to work on as well. I believe in an approach that honors a child’s independence, motivations, and individual strengths and weaknesses, while guiding them towards success. I never force or trick. I do however believe that strong and consistent boundaries and expectations help all children to feel safe and prepared for what they are asked to do. With mealtimes, these consistent routines and expectation allow the child to know what will and will not happen, which reduces everyone’s stress level.
karyrappaport 