Feeding Therapy for Kids in Westlake Village
Help with a shrinking list of foods, strong reactions to textures, and stressful mealtimes, from licensed speech and occupational therapists.
During business hours, we return calls within an hour.
- Free 15-minute call
- No referral needed
- No waiting list
- Ages
- Birth to 18
- Where
- Your home, school, a private clinic on request, or telehealth anywhere in California. Our Westlake Village clinic opens December 1, 2026.
- How soon
- No waiting list as of October 2026. Evaluations are scheduled within 3 business days of your free consultation.
Dinner ends in tears again. The list of foods your child will eat keeps getting shorter, or lumps and new textures bring gagging and refusal. Feeding therapy for kids helps a child eat a wider range of foods with less stress. It works on chewing and mouth skills, reactions to how food feels and smells, and the routine around meals. We provide feeding therapy in Westlake Village and nearby towns, for children from birth to 18. No diagnosis or referral is needed.
When should I call a doctor before feeding therapy?
Most feeding difficulties in childhood are not dangerous. A few are, and those need a medical opinion before any therapy begins. Talk to your pediatrician first if your child has any of these:
- Coughing, choking, or gagging during or right after eating or drinking
- A wet or gurgly voice after swallowing
- Repeated chest infections or unexplained pneumonia
- Weight loss, or growth that has flattened off
- Pain when swallowing, or vomiting that keeps happening
- Breathing changes during feeds, especially in infants
- Losing feeding skills your child used to have
These can point to a swallowing problem that affects the airway, which is checked medically. If you describe any of these when you contact us, we will tell you to see your doctor first.
Signs like coughing or choking when swallowing and a wet-sounding voice are also on ASHA's list of signs of feeding and swallowing disorders.
What does feeding therapy for kids help with?
Feeding therapy is for a shrinking list of foods, strong reactions to textures, and stressful mealtimes. The everyday version looks like this:
- A shrinking listThe foods your child accepts keep getting fewer.
- Strong reactionsCertain textures, temperatures, or smells set off gagging or refusal.
- Here but not thereEats a food at daycare and refuses it at home, or the reverse.
- Lumps and chewingTrouble with lumps, chewing, or moving on from purees.
- Every meal is hardMealtimes reliably end in distress for someone.
- Family stressYour child grows, but the diet is shaping what the family can do.
Some of this is ordinary. Picky eating is often the norm for toddlers, and a toddler may need to taste a new food 10 or more times before accepting it, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Part of what an evaluation does is tell you which you are looking at, and we are happy for the answer to be that you do not need us.
What do you treat, and what do you refer to a specialist?
We would rather be clear about this than offer a longer list of services. Everyday feeding difficulties we treat. Anything with a medical or airway part we refer to a specialist.
- Refusing foods because of texture, taste, or smell
- A narrow diet without a medical cause
- Mouth skills for eating, like chewing and handling lumps
- Mealtime structure, routine, and setting
- Coaching parents to run a meal without a battle
- Swallowing problems that affect the airway (dysphagia)
- Anything that needs a swallow study
- Children who are tube fed, or weaning from tube feeds
- Growth or nutrition concerns (pediatrician and dietitian)
- Feeding problems tied to an active medical condition
We do not provide nutrition or dietitian services, and we do not prescribe diets or supplements. When that is what your child needs, we will say so and point you to the right professional.
What happens at a feeding evaluation?
Feeding therapy for kids starts with an evaluation. It looks at how your child manages food, not only at what they will accept, and it decides whether we are the right next step.
Your therapist looks at mouth skills, reactions to how food feels and smells, posture and seating, the routine around meals, and how the difficulty started. Where we can, we watch a real meal in your own kitchen. Your therapist may ask you to have certain foods ready.
If an evaluation is the right next step after your free consultation, it is scheduled within 3 business days. Within 14 business days, you get a written report either way. If your child needs a medical review or a different specialist, that report is what you take to them.
Why does feeding therapy often happen at home?
Feeding therapy for kids often happens at home because the kitchen, the chair, the time of day, and the people at the table are all part of the picture. None of them exist in a clinic room.
Progress in feeding is often slower and less even than in other areas of therapy, and we would rather tell you that at the start. Early goals are usually about less distress and a little more tolerance, not counting new foods. We will give you a way to tell whether things are moving.
Your plan includes parent coaching. Feeding therapy can also happen by telehealth: a parent, guardian, or nurse joins the call, and your therapist guides them step by step.
Who would my child work with?
Feeding therapy for kids sits across both of our disciplines. When the main issue is chewing and how the mouth moves, our speech-language pathologist leads. When it is mostly sensory, our occupational therapist leads. We decide which of us leads at the evaluation, based on your child's age and what you are noticing.
Speech therapy for late talkers, speech sounds, stuttering, and myofunctional therapy.
Occupational therapy for handwriting, sensory needs, feeding, and everyday skills.
How much does feeding therapy cost, and can I use insurance?
Coverage depends on your plan. You can use your insurance through our partner, Village, which handles the billing. Village accepts PPO plans from several major insurers, and TRICARE.
Village also charges its own fee for each visit, in addition to your copay or deductible. Before therapy starts, Village goes over the expected cost with you.
We are waiting to become in network with major insurance companies. Until then, Village is how insurance works with us.
You can also pay privately, and we give you a superbill to send to your plan for possible out-of-network reimbursement. On the free 15-minute call, we check your coverage before you commit to anything.
Can children under 3 get feeding therapy through Early Start?
Children under 3 may qualify for Early Start services through Tri-Counties Regional Center (TCRC). Therapy Clubhouse is a TCRC provider.
There is no charge for the evaluation or for service coordination. You may need to use your insurance for ongoing therapy, according to California's Early Start FAQ.
If you live on the Los Angeles County side of Westlake Village, tell us your address. We will help you find which regional center covers you.
What else do parents ask about feeding therapy?
Is it just picky eating?
It may be. Picky eating tends to stay steady or improve, and the range of foods stays fairly broad. A feeding difficulty tends to narrow over time, cause real distress, and start shaping what the family can do. The evaluation tells the two apart.
Will you make my child eat?
No. Pressure is often part of what made meals hard in the first place, and much of the early work is taking it out of the room.
Do I need a referral from my pediatrician?
No. But if any of the warning signs above apply, see your pediatrician first.
Do you diagnose ARFID or autism?
No. We do not diagnose ARFID, autism, or any other condition. We describe what we see, put it in writing, and refer onward when needed.
Is the free call the same as an evaluation?
No. The free 15-minute call answers your questions and points you to the right next step. It is not an evaluation. If therapy looks like a fit, the evaluation comes next.
Which school district and regional center serve Westlake Village?
Westlake Village sits on a county line. The Los Angeles County side is served by Las Virgenes Unified School District, and the Ventura County side by Conejo Valley Unified School District. For children under 3, the regional center depends on the county. Families on the Ventura County side fall under Tri-Counties Regional Center, where we are a provider. On the Los Angeles County side, tell us your address and we'll help you confirm which regional center covers you.
What areas do you serve?
We provide feeding therapy for families in Westlake Village and nearby towns. These include Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Oak Park, Newbury Park, Calabasas, Moorpark, and Simi Valley. Telehealth is available anywhere in California.Thousand OaksAgoura HillsOak ParkNewbury ParkCalabasasMoorparkSimi ValleyAll locations
“If you're concerned about your child's development, don't wait. You know your child best.”
About 1 in 6 children aged 3 through 17 years have one or more developmental disabilities. (CDC)
We build every child's plan and goals around one aim: graduating from speech or occupational therapy. That is our goal with every child.
If mealtimes have become the hardest part of your day, you are not alone, and you don't have to figure it out by yourself. Tell us a little more about what meals look like at your house. Let's talk about it.
Request your free 15-minute consultation
Tell us what you are noticing about your child. A licensed therapist reads every message, not an assistant, and replies within one business day. The consultation is free, lasts about 15 minutes, and carries no obligation. There is no waiting list. If you would rather talk now, call (805) 702-3427.
