- Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit
- Feeding Team
Feeding Team
-
The CLIU feeding team provides evaluation and intervention for children with documented or suspected difficulties with safe and effective eating.
- The primary goal of the feeding team is to ensure safe nutrition and hydration to students during school hours and at home determined by an informal Feeding Screening and/or Feeding Evaluation adhering to guidelines provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
- The primary case managers of the feeding team consist of a speech language pathologist and an occupational therapist with expertise in sensory/oral motor difficulties and dysphagia (swallowing disorder).
Feeding Team Screening VS. Feeding Team Evaluation?
- A Feeding Team Screening is an observation of a student during normal/routine classroom activities. It does not involve altering any condition for the purpose of the screening. Doing anything different with the student that the student would not normally be doing at the time of the observations for purposes of the screening constitutes an evaluation. A screening results in general feeding recommendations for the student based on the observation by the feeding team and guidelines provided by ASHA.
- A Feeding Team Evaluation would entail altering the environment and/or conditions to assess the student’s ability to take in nutrition. This could include trialing various safe feeding techniques and/or use of adaptive equipment during a naturally occurring meal/snack; modifying liquids and food to trial; modifying positioning and adjusting sensory input to facilitate improved feeding/swallowing skills.
Request Feeding Team Screening Services
To request Feeding Team Screening services, use the CLIU School Age Request for Services form and choose Feeding Team Screening as the type of service request.Request Feeding Team Evaluation Services
To request Feeding Team Evaluation services, use the CLIU School Age Request for Services form and choose whichever Feeding Team Evaluation that fits the type of service request that you require.Prior to requesting services, make sure the following three forms are completed and available on your computer:
1. The Feeding and Swallowing Intake Form provides a case history outlining the student's medical history and observed behaviors by the parents. Users may fill the form in online, download and save to their computer, and forward to the school district.
2. The Consent for Release of Information Form gives permission for the child's doctor to release information to the Feeding Team. Users may fill the form in online, download and save to their computer, and forward to the school district.
3. The Permission to Re-Evaluate (PTRE) Form provided by the requesting school district. Prior to requesting/issuing the PTRE, be sure the Consent for Release of Information Form and the Feeding/Swallowing Intake Form are completed and sent to the school district issuing the PTRE.
4. Once the accompanying documents are uploaded into the School Age Request for Services form and submitted, the Feeding Team will follow the Feeding Team Procedure.