Picky Eating, Feeding & Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in Palatine & Arlington Heights, IL

Picky Eating, Feeding & Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in Palatine & Arlington Heights, IL

Is your child an extremely picky eater? Do they eat the same small group of foods every day, avoid entire textures, gag on certain foods, struggle with chewing, or become anxious when something unfamiliar appears on their plate?

Sometimes what looks like “picky eating” is much more complex.

At Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy (EYT) in Palatine, Illinois, we provide pediatric feeding therapy, picky eating therapy, oral-motor therapy, and orofacial myofunctional therapy using a holistic, child-led approach. We proudly serve families throughout Palatine, Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Barrington, Lake Zurich, and the surrounding Northwest Chicago suburbs.

Our goal isn't simply to get a child to take a bite.

We want to understand why eating is difficult and help each child develop the skills, confidence, and sense of safety needed to make meaningful, lasting progress.

When Is Picky Eating More Than Picky Eating?

Many children go through periods of food selectivity. However, some children experience feeding challenges that significantly affect their food variety, nutrition, family routines, or ability to comfortably participate in meals.

Parents may notice that their child:

• Eats a very limited number of foods

• Prefers specific brands, shapes, colors, or presentations

• Avoids entire food groups or textures

• Gags, coughs, or has difficulty managing certain foods

• Has difficulty biting or chewing

• Holds or “pockets” food in their mouth

• Takes an unusually long time to eat

• Becomes upset when unfamiliar foods are presented

• Has difficulty transitioning from purees to solids

• Avoids getting messy during meals

• Has difficulty using cups, straws, or utensils

• Has strong sensory reactions to the smell, appearance, temperature, or texture of food

• Experiences significant anxiety surrounding meals

Instead of assuming a child is refusing because they are stubborn, our therapists look at the whole child to understand what may be contributing.

Why Is My Child Such a Picky Eater?

There isn't one answer.

Feeding is an incredibly complex activity involving multiple systems of the body at the same time.

Successful eating can require sensory processing, oral-motor coordination, breathing, postural stability, motor planning, attention, regulation, communication, and awareness of internal body signals.

A child's previous experiences with eating matter, too.

That's why our approach to pediatric feeding therapy considers much more than which foods a child will or won't eat.

We may explore sensory processing, oral-motor development, chewing, swallowing, posture, regulation, interoception, communication, mealtime routines, anxiety, and medical or developmental history.

Understanding the “why” behind the behavior helps us determine how to support the child.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy for Children

Some feeding concerns may also involve the function and coordination of the muscles of the mouth and face.

Orofacial myofunctional therapy addresses patterns involving the tongue, lips, jaw, cheeks, and other oral and facial structures involved in everyday functions.

Depending on a child's individual needs, therapy may support areas such as:

• Tongue movement and coordination

• Lip closure

• Jaw stability

• Oral awareness

• Biting and chewing

• Functional swallowing patterns

• Resting oral posture

• Oral-motor coordination

• Speech-related oral movements

At EYT, we don't treat the mouth as though it exists separately from the rest of the child.

We consider how oral function, sensory processing, breathing, posture, motor development, regulation, communication, and feeding experiences may interact.

When additional medical or structural concerns are suspected, collaboration with the child's pediatrician, dentist, orthodontist, ENT, gastroenterologist, dietitian, or other specialists may be recommended.

What Does Child-Led Feeding Therapy Mean?

Child-led therapy doesn't mean simply letting children do whatever they want.

It means therapists use their clinical expertise to create meaningful therapeutic opportunities while paying close attention to the child's communication, interests, regulation, comfort, and readiness.

We don't want food to become a battle between a child and an adult.

Instead, we work toward building trust, curiosity, confidence, and competence around eating.

For one child, progress might mean eating a new food.

For another, progress might begin with allowing a previously avoided food to remain on their plate.

Another child might cook with it, smell it, touch it, lick it, or take a tiny taste.

These experiences can all be important steps toward greater flexibility.

Feeding Therapy Can Be Fun!

At EYT, feeding therapy doesn't always mean sitting at a table and practicing bites.

Children might prepare food in our kitchen, create silly food combinations, explore ingredients through sensory play, participate in pretend restaurant activities, go on a food scavenger hunt, practice oral-motor skills during meaningful activities, or incorporate movement before eating.

We meet children where they are and gradually expand what feels possible.

When therapy is playful and meaningful, children have opportunities to develop skills without feeling that every interaction with food is a test.

Why We Don't Focus on “Just One Bite”

“Just take one bite.”

Parents of picky eaters have probably said it—and for understandable reasons!

But when eating is genuinely difficult for a child, pressure can sometimes make food feel even more stressful.

At EYT, our goal is not simply compliance with eating.

We want to help children develop the underlying skills necessary for eating while creating positive, sustainable experiences around food.

Ultimately, we want children to become more confident and independent eaters—not simply children who learned to tolerate being told to take another bite.

Speech Therapy + Occupational Therapy for Picky Eating

One of the advantages of receiving feeding therapy at Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy is access to an interdisciplinary pediatric therapy team.

Our speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists can collaborate to understand the different factors contributing to a child's feeding challenges.

A speech-language pathologist may address feeding and swallowing skills, oral-motor coordination, chewing, or other aspects of oral function.

An occupational therapist may address sensory processing, regulation, fine-motor skills, positioning, independence, and participation in mealtime routines.

For some children, physical therapy or mental health support may also provide an important perspective when motor, postural, anxiety, regulation, or other factors influence participation.

Instead of separating these areas, our team looks at how they work together.

Feeding Therapy Should Support Parents, Too

Picky eating can become exhausting for the entire family.

Parents may find themselves preparing separate meals, packing the same foods every day, worrying about nutrition, avoiding restaurants, or feeling anxious about birthday parties, holidays, vacations, and family dinners.

Parents may also receive conflicting advice:

Don't cater to them.

Make them take a bite.

They'll eat when they're hungry.

Stop offering their preferred foods.

For a child with genuine feeding challenges, it may not be that simple.

Our therapists help families better understand their child's individual feeding profile and develop strategies that are realistic for everyday life.

The goal is not to make every meal into therapy.

The goal is to help everyday meals become easier.

Picky Eating Therapy Near Arlington Heights, IL

Families searching for picky eating therapy in Arlington Heights, pediatric feeding therapy in Arlington Heights, or orofacial myofunctional therapy near Arlington Heights can access comprehensive services just minutes away at our Palatine pediatric therapy clinic.

EYT has supported children and families throughout the Northwest suburbs for many years, and our location is convenient for families traveling from Arlington Heights and surrounding communities.

Pediatric Feeding Therapy in Palatine, IL

Our Palatine clinic provides a playful, welcoming environment where children can explore food and develop feeding skills with support from experienced pediatric therapists.

Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy serves families from:

Palatine • Arlington Heights • Rolling Meadows • Schaumburg • Buffalo Grove • Wheeling • Barrington • South Barrington • Inverness • Lake Zurich • Deer Park • Kildeer • Long Grove • Mount Prospect • Prospect Heights • Hoffman Estates • Cook County • Lake County

Is Feeding Therapy Right for Your Child?

If meals have become stressful, your child's diet continues to become more restricted, or you have concerns about chewing, oral-motor development, swallowing, sensory processing, or orofacial function, a feeding evaluation can help determine what may be contributing.

At Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy, we believe children make meaningful progress when we begin with connection rather than compliance.

We meet children where they are, discover what their bodies are communicating, and help them gradually build the skills and confidence they need to participate more comfortably in eating.

Looking for Feeding Therapy in Palatine or Arlington Heights?

Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy provides pediatric feeding therapy, picky eating therapy, oral-motor therapy, and orofacial myofunctional therapy in Palatine, IL, conveniently serving Arlington Heights and communities throughout the Northwest Chicago suburbs.

Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy
Palatine, Illinois
847-907-9227
expressyourselftherapy.com

Contact EYT to learn more about our feeding therapy services or to schedule an evaluation.