When Baby Can’t Suck: An Advanced Course for Therapists

Newborns and young infants who present with bottle and/or breastfeeding challenges require skilled care for proper differential diagnosis and supportive treatment that works, and caregivers deserve to meet their feeding goals. In this advanced course for therapists you will learn how to problem solve sucking issues in infants. What factors are limiting the development of safe efficient feeding, and how should you navigate the many tools available on the market?  Identify underlying structural problems and oral-motor/functional disorders and implement treatment strategies for latch, coordination, and feeding endurance, not just compensatory skills for weight gain! Recognize associated patterns of cranial/facial tension, head/neck/body tension and asymmetry, and how to differentially treat these issues through co-treatment and collaborative care with your team. Key Learning Outcomes: As a result of this presentation, the participant will be able to:

1. Identify factors that limit the development of safe, efficient sucking skills in infants.
2. Discuss strategies for improving sucking skills in infants.
3. Explain priorities in selecting nipples, bottles, and pacifiers for infants with sucking problems.

Agenda: Please see the course details page on the foodsmartkids website for the most up-to-date agenda. Target Audience: SLPs, OTs, PTs, Assistants, Educators. Appropriate for other professionals (social workers, nurses, dieticians, etc.) working with infants and young children with feeding problems.

About the Presenter:

Nina Ayd Johanson, a highly regarded clinician and renowned teacher with more than 25 years experience, is a senior speech language pathologist for an acclaimed children’s hospital where she is the founder and lead therapist of the TOTS Program (for infants with feeding problems due to tethered oral tissue). A Certified Lactation Counselor and Certified Educator of Infant Massage, Nina also works in private practice in Baltimore and lectures nationally. She has extensive experience in home-based early intervention and parent training specializing in the evaluation and treatment of children with oral motor/feeding disorders, complex medical issues, autism spectrum disorders, and other developmental disabilities. She holds a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Loyola College, and a Master of Arts in Applied Healing Arts from the Tai Sophia Institute. She is a board-certified Holistic Health Practitioner and was trained in integrative nutrition through the Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s “Food As Medicine”, the nation’s leading clinical nutrition training program for healthcare professionals.

Disclosures:

Presenter Disclosures:

Financial: I have no relevant financial relationships in the products or services described, reviewed, evaluated or compared in this presentation. I receive a speaking fee for presenting this course. Non-Financial: I have no relevant non-financial relationships in the products or services described, reviewed, evaluated or compared in this presentation.

Content Disclosure:

This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service.Newborns and young infants who present with bottle and/or breastfeeding challenges require skilled care for proper differential diagnosis and supportive treatment that works, and caregivers deserve to meet their feeding goals.