Kay Toomey
PhD
Understanding the Complexity of Feeding and Eating



disclosures
Financial: Dr. Kay Toomey is a paid consultant for Nestec, a division of Nestle (Gerber Child Advocate/Developmental Panel member) and owner of  Toomey & Associates, Inc. and the SOS Approach to Feeding program. 

Nonfinancial: Dr. Kay Toomey is a Founding Medical Professional Council Member with Feeding Matters - PFD Alliance Committee Member (unpaid)
about the presentation

Many parents and professionals see eating as being an instinctive, automatic and easy task that comes naturally to children. Unfortunately, this is not true. Learning to eat is a much more complicated endeavor that that. What is known from the research in the field is that eating is actually the most difficult human behavior that we will ever engage in, in our lifetimes. This is because it is the only thing we do as human beings that involves ALL seven areas of human function. Not only do each of these 7 areas need to work correctly individually, but we also need to be able to integrate and coordinate amongst, across and within all of those 7 areas in order to eat and grow well. This Workshop will describe the complexity of feeding from a multidisciplinary perspective and outline each of the seven areas of human function that should be assessed and addressed any time we work with a child who has a feeding, eating and/or growth challenge. 

Content Disclousre: Kay Toomey discusses her SOS Approach to feeding.

LEarner outcomes
  • Identify the scope of the problem by outlining prevalence statistics
  • ​Create a conceptualization of feeding using an analogy of an Iceberg to understand how a feeding difficulty is what is seen, but that it is what is not seen that causes a child’s feeding/eating and growth to falter
  • ​List the 7 different areas of human function involved in being able to eat and grow well
  • ​Identify how to take a multidisciplinary viewpoint to feeding assessment and treatment
meet the presenterS
Dr. Kay A. Toomey is a Pediatric Psychologist who has worked with children who don’t eat for almost 30 years. She has developed the SOS Approach to Feeding as a family centered program for assessing and treating children with feeding problems. Dr. Toomey speaks nationally and internationally about her approach. She also acts as a consultant to Gerber Products. Dr. Toomey helped to form The Children’s Hospital – Denver’s Pediatric Oral Feeding Clinic, as well as the Rose Medical Center’s Pediatric Feeding Center. Dr. Toomey co-chaired the Pediatric Therapy Services Department at Rose Medical Center prior to entering private practice. Dr. Toomey acted as the Clinical Director for Toomey & Associates, Inc.’s Feeding Clinic for six years and SOS Feeding Solutions @ STAR for eight years. Dr. Toomey is currently the President of Toomey & Associates, Inc., and acts as a Clinical Consultant to the Feeding Clinic at STAR Institute. 

 
Time ordered agenda
I. Introduction (10 minutes)
a. Prevalence
b. When and Why children struggle to eat

 II. Complexity of Feeding (40 minutes)
a. Iceberg
b. 7 Areas of Human Function

 III. Need for a Multidisciplinary Approach (10 minutes)
a. Pediatric Feeding Disorder diagnosis
Accreditation
This course is offered for .10 ASHA CEUs. (Intermediate Level, Professional Area)
disclosures
Financial: Dr. Kay Toomey is a paid consultant for Nestec, a division of Nestle (Gerber Child Advocate/Developmental Panel member) and owner of Toomey & Associates, Inc. and the SOS Approach to Feeding program. 

Nonfinancial: Dr. Kay Toomey is a Founding Medical Professional Council Member with Feeding Matters - PFD Alliance Committee Member (unpaid)