What is S.O.S. Approach to Feeding?
S.O.S. stands for Sequential Oral Sensory and is an approach to feeding developed by pediatric psychologist Kay Toomy.
The S.O.S. approach maintains that feeding difficulty is a complex issue, encompassing medical/physical, sensory, and behavioral components. It breaks the feeding process into numerous steps, designed to evaluate and address any breakdown in the continuum, and believes that systemic desensitization is the initial key step to feeding treatment.
S.O.S. treatment strategies are based on behavioral principles of good consequences/more eating, bad consequences/less eating. It introduces the child to new foods that share similarities with foods she already accepts and encourages him/her to explore the new food with all senses and steps before eating them.
S.O.S aims to build confidence in children who are struggling with feeding, allowing them and enticing them to participate in trying each new food by positive modeling.
Who will benefit from S.O.S.?
Children who:
- Have some level of chewing and drinking skills and are not at risk of aspiration (having food going down the wrong way)
- Are picky eaters, self-limiting to certain foods only and/or specific brands
- Had a traumatic feeding experience in the past such as a choking incident
The S. O. S. approach to feeding is among the modalities that Yichien employs in SOARSM and in regularly scheduled sessions when it will benefit that individual child.
Yichien’s Comments: S.O.S. has made it known to professionals and parents alike that feeding is not an easy and simple process. It acknowledges the complexity of multiple factors causing feeding challenges. While it believes in a trans-disciplinary approach to assess the whole child, its main strengths lay in addressing sensory aversion and anxiety in children whose main feeding issues are these.
