Therapy
for individuals with disordered patterns of dietary intake.
“There are seven major steps to eating. Eating doesn’t begin at the mouth!”
When children don’t eat...
Having a child or adolescent who struggles with eating, avoids certain foods, or refuses meals can present significant emotional and practical challenges for parents and caregivers. These experiences often bring understandable concerns about whether a child is receiving the nourishment they need to support the rapid growth and development that takes place in these years.
Mealtimes can also become tense and emotionally charged, particularly when everyone is trying their best but feeling unheard or overwhelmed. Over time, this can place strain on the parent–child relationship, with meals becoming a source of stress rather than connection.
It can be difficult to know how to interpret changes in eating. A child’s limited food range may reflect shifting sensory preferences, developmental stages as independence emerges, or temporary fluctuations that resolve with time. In other cases, there may be underlying factors influencing eating that require closer understanding and support. Distinguishing between typical developmental variation and more persistent feeding difficulties is not always straightforward.
Neurodivergence and Feeding Differences
Neurodivergent children — including those with autism, ADHD and related developmental profiles — are significantly more likely to experience feeding challenges. The research literature consistently shows that these differences are rooted in neurobiology rather than behaviour. Sensory processing differences, interoceptive awareness challenges (difficulty recognising hunger, fullness or internal discomfort), motor coordination differences, heightened anxiety, and a strong need for predictability can all influence how a child experiences food and mealtimes. Evidence also highlights the role of nervous system regulation and the gut–brain axis in shaping appetite, food tolerance and stress responses around eating.
Current best practice supports structured, neurodevelopmentally informed approaches that prioritise regulation, graded exposure and psychological safety over pressure or compliance-based strategies. Feeding differences in neurodivergent children are complex and individual, and often benefit from coordinated multidisciplinary input where appropriate.
Our approach is grounded in this evidence. We work to understand each child’s sensory profile, regulation patterns and lived experience of food, supporting progress at a pace that respects their neurodevelopmental needs.
Dr Bujtor’s approach
Dr Bujtor is an expert in paediatric feeding, specialising in all aspects of child feeding, including paediatric feeding and eating disorders. She is a trained feeding therapist with extensive clinical experience supporting children, young people and families navigating complex feeding and eating challenges across different stages of development.
She understands the significant anxiety, stress and uncertainty that can arise when a child or young person is unable to eat, limits their food range, or experiences distress around meals. Through both her specialist training and years of clinical practice, Dr Bujtor brings a calm, informed and compassionate presence to situations that can otherwise feel overwhelming.
Her work spans the full spectrum of feeding and eating presentations — from early sensory-based feeding differences and food avoidance, through to more entrenched patterns of restriction, anxiety around eating, and weight-related concerns. She approaches each case with careful assessment and individualised planning, recognising that eating difficulties are rarely straightforward and often reflect a combination of developmental, sensory, psychological and environmental factors.
Her approach is empathic and professional, grounded in evidence-based practice and delivered in a way that is engaging and developmentally attuned. She is personable, warm, and above all, makes sessions enjoyable and safe. This helps to create a therapeutic environment in which children and young people feel regulated and more open to exploring new experiences with food.
Dr Bujtor also recognises the importance of supporting parents, caregivers and the wider family system alongside the child or young person. Feeding challenges rarely affect just one individual; they influence routines, relationships and emotional wellbeing across the household.
She takes a collaborative, family-centred approach, working proactively with each family's unique circumstances to personalise the feeding therapy journey at every stage.
Therapeutic Approaches
Dr Bujtor uses a range of evidence-based approaches tailored to each child's unique needs:
SOS (Sequential-Oral-Sensory) Approach to Feeding
The SOS Approach is a transdisciplinary programme that addresses the "whole child" and the underlying causes of feeding difficulties. It systematically desensitises children to new foods through a hierarchy of steps, from tolerating a food in the room to eventually eating it.
This playful, child-led approach takes the pressure off eating and allows children to explore foods at their own pace, building comfort and confidence. Sessions involve structured food play and learning activities that help children become more comfortable with a wider variety of foods.
Family-Based Therapy
Mealtimes are family events, and feeding therapy works best when the whole family is involved. Family-based therapy addresses mealtime dynamics, parental stress, and sibling relationships around food. It provides parents with practical strategies to reduce mealtime battles and create positive eating environments.
Responsive Feeding Therapy
This therapy promotes a child-led approach to eating, empowering children to listen to and trust their own hunger and fullness cues. This method focuses on fostering a positive and stress-free relationship with food, where children are encouraged to eat at their own pace and make choices based on their internal cues rather than external pressures. By respecting the child's natural signals, Responsive Feeding Therapy aims to create a healthy and balanced approach to eating that supports long-term well-being.
Oral-Motor Therapy
Some children have difficulty with the physical skills needed for eating, such as chewing, moving food around the mouth, or swallowing. Oral-motor therapy uses targeted exercises and activities to strengthen and coordinate the muscles used in eating.
Sensory Integration Therapy
For children whose feeding difficulties are related to sensory processing differences, sensory integration approaches help them become more comfortable with the sensory aspects of food - including textures, smells, temperatures, and appearances.
What to Expect
Feeding therapy typically begins with a comprehensive assessment to understand your child's feeding history, current eating patterns, sensory preferences, oral motor skills, and medical background. This assessment also explores mealtime routines and family dynamics.
Based on this assessment, Dr Bujtor develops an individualised treatment plan. Therapy sessions may be conducted one-on-one with your child, with parents present, or as family sessions depending on your child's needs. Parent coaching is always a key component, ensuring you have the skills and confidence to support your child's progress at home.
Progress in feeding therapy is often gradual, but families typically notice improvements in mealtime stress and anxiety early in treatment, even before significant changes in food intake occur.
Specialist feeding support
"Every child can learn to have a positive relationship with food."
