Professional workshop- Principles of Feeding Assessment and Intervention

Paediatric Feeding Disorders and ARFID- A two-day multidisciplinary workshop for Occupational Therapists, Dietitians and Speech & Language Therapists

A two-day practical training for Paediatric Occupational Therapists, Dietitians and Speech & Language Therapists working with children experiencing feeding difficulties.

Working with paediatric feeding disorders and ARFID can feel complex, multidisciplinary and high-risk without the right assessment framework and clinical structure.

This intensive two-day professional workshop provides clinicians with the skills, confidence and clinical reasoning required to safely assess and support children with eating and feeding difficulties, from early feeding challenges through to complex presentations including ARFID.

Designed for practitioners already working in child development, feeding therapy or paediatric care, this workshop bridges theory and real-world practice, giving you tools you can immediately apply in clinic.

Who This Workshop Is For:

• Paediatric Occupational Therapists

• Dietitians working in paediatrics or feeding therapy

• Speech and Language Therapists

• Multidisciplinary clinicians supporting children with feeding difficulties

• Practitioners wanting structured, evidence-informed feeding assessment and intervention skills

What Makes This Training Different:

This is not a protocol-based or discipline-specific course.

Instead, you will learn a whole-child, multidisciplinary framework integrating:

• Medical and nutritional considerations

• Oral-motor development

• Sensory and positioning factors

• Family dynamics and routines

• Developmental readiness

• Environmental influences on eating

Each day includes interactive case discussion sessions, allowing participants to bring real clinical challenges and receive guided problem-solving support.

Day 1: Feeding Assessment

Develop a clear, structured approach to understanding why a child is struggling with eating.

You will learn:

• A comprehensive framework for assessing eating and feeding difficulties

• The role of breathing and physiological regulation in eating

• Gut health and nutritional markers impacting feeding

• Key oral-motor indicators of feeding difficulty

• The influence of positioning on eating safety and success

• How routines shape feeding patterns and challenges

• Identifying contributing factors across medical, developmental and environmental domains

Afternoon Clinical Session:

Participants are invited to present case studies for discussion and real-time clinical guidance.

Day 2: Feeding Intervention

Translate assessment findings into safe, effective and developmentally appropriate intervention.

You will learn:

• A structured framework for feeding intervention

• Practical oral-motor strategies and therapy techniques

• How to safely use oral-motor tools and food within therapy

• Clinical decision-making around cups, bottles, spoons, forks and mealtime equipment

• Problem-solving positioning challenges during meals

• Managing screen use and environmental distractions

• Supporting family meals and relational feeding environments

• Using routine therapeutically in feeding intervention

• Exposure-based approaches to support food acceptance

Afternoon Clinical Session:

Bring your cases and work through intervention planning with guided professional support.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

✔ Feel confident conducting structured feeding assessments

✔ Understand the interaction between physiology, development and environment in feeding difficulties

✔ Develop safe, practical intervention plans

✔ Strengthen multidisciplinary clinical reasoning

✔ Gain tools immediately applicable to practice

Format

• Two full days of in-person professional training

• Practical, clinically focused teaching

• Case-based learning

• Interactive discussion and problem solving

• Real-world application

Ideal For Clinicians Working With:

• Paediatric feeding disorders

• ARFID

• Selective eating

• Oral-motor feeding challenges

• Sensory-based feeding difficulties

• Mealtime distress or refusal

• Complex multidisciplinary feeding presentations

About Pippa van Wijk BOccThy, MOccTHY:

Pippa graduated from the University of Queensland in

1994 with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. She

completed her Master’s in Occupational Therapy in

1999 through the University of South Australia.

Pippa has worked in feeding her whole career, starting in a special school

with children with severe physical and intellectual disabilities before

moving to the Royal Children’s Hospital Feeding Clinic. From there she

returned to community health, and set up and supervised a University

Student Feeding Clinic. She also mentors and supervises graduate

therapists in public and private practice in all areas of OT.

About Rachael Wilson NZRD PgDip, BSc

A Registered Dietitian with over 21 years of experience in paediatric nutrition, Rachael specialises in supporting neurodivergent children and families, particularly those with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and selective eating challenges.

Rachael is New Zealand’s only dietitian trained by the internationally renowned Ellyn Satter Institute and brings a unique expertise in responsive feeding therapy. She works in partnership with families to help children develop a positive relationship with food and their bodies.