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The Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) feeding approach integrates motor, oral, behavioral/learning, medical, sensory and nutritional factors and approaches in order to comprehensively evaluate and manage children with feeding/growth concerns. The SOS feeding therapy approach is based on typical developmental feeding steps, stages and skills found in children.

Despite popular belief, eating does not begin at the mouth! The SOS approach works through a hierarchy of steps to desensitize the feeding process. First, we must tolerate the physical presence or the look of the food. This might include simply being in the same room as the food. Then, we can interact with the food without directly touching the food to our skin. This may include using a kitchen utensil like a fork. Next, our body needs to process and manage the smell or odor of a food. Playing with the food then expands to touching the food with our fingers, hands, body, and mouth. Tasting comes next, which might look like quickly poking the food with the tip of your tongue, or maybe putting the food in your mouth, and spitting it out. Lastly, we are ready to practice chewing and swallowing.

Utilizing the SOS approach in therapy allows a child to interact with food in a playful, non-stressful way. A child will work through this hierarchy with his/her therapist to expand his/her comfort level of new foods by exploring and learning about the different properties of food.

-Lauren I.

https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/why-sos-approach-feeding/