SOS Approach To Feeding

When Children Won't Eat, Picky Eaters Vs. Problem Feeders | Online

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS CONFERENCE WILL BE PRESENTED AND TAUGHT IN ENGLISH, with LIVE GREEK translation available.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic resulting in ongoing restrictions to travel and large group gatherings and to ensure the health and safety of all conference participants, the SOS Approach to Feeding Conference for February a Live Streamed Online Conference is for 5 days 2pm – 9pm (February 27th and 28th ) and 3pm – 10pm (March 1st until 03rd) Cyprus Time: (GMT +2).
This conference is limited to the first 150 registrants. 

Participants are expected to have mastery of the English language that is sufficient to:

  1. Provide short written answers in English to questions asked of them verbally by the Speaker’s during the conference itself.
  2. Respond to any administrative email or Private Chat sent to the participant in English.
  3. Reply back to that email or Chat in English as the Speaker’s and Host Staff do not speak Greek.
  4. Successfully understand and pass two short tests in English each day.  If a participant needs to take the tests in Greek, the participant must make this request during the registration process.

The Sequential Oral Sensory (S.O.S) Approach to Feeding workshop is a trans- disciplinary program for assessing and treating children with feeding difficulties and weight/growth problems from birth to 18 years. It integrates posture, sensory, motor, behavioral/learning, medical, and nutritional factors to comprehensively evaluate and manage children with feeding/growth problems.

The 5-day Basic Conference is designed for babies, toddlers and small children.  Other ages and special populations are covered in the Advanced Workshops.

 

Course Description:
This five day conference “SOS Approach to Feeding” is a trans-disciplinary program developed by Dr. Kay in the USA to assist professionals in understanding of the multi-factorial complexity of feeding difficulties, as well as how to identify areas that need intervention and how to holistically treat the child.  The conference offers a comprehensive training in SOS Approach to Feeding Program, general and specific therapeutic strategies for feeding as well as other knowledge on the principles of evaluating feeding dysfunctions.


This therapeutic approach has been developed and refined through the clinical work of Dr. Kay Toomey and other colleagues from other disciplines such as occupational therapists, pediatricians, dietitians, speech language therapists.  This program integrates posture, sensory, motor, behavioral/ learning, medical, and nutritional factors to comprehensively evaluate and manage children with feeding/ growth problems. 
Philosophy of the program is based on the “normal” developmental steps, stages, and skills of feeding found in typically developing children. 


The conference focuses in the assessment and treatment of children from birth until the age of 18 years old.  This program is appropriate for children that may have neurological deficits and/or medical conditions, children in the autistic spectrum, children with oral-motor and/or sensory processing deficits, as well as “picky eaters”.

OBJECTIVES:

  1. List the seven areas of human function that need to be examined to provide a comprehensive Feeding Assessment.
  2. Identify at least five of the oral, sensory, motor, cognitive or emotional developmental milestones key to being able to eat well.
  3. List three reasons why children won’t eat, as based on learning theory principles.
  4. Differentiate classical and operant conditioning principles as applied to resolving feeding problems.
  5. Identify at least four of the necessary components of an SOS Approach to Feeding program for babies, toddlers and young children in either an individual or group therapy session.
  6. List all three requirements for building a Food Hierarchy.
  7. Identify at least one play based strategy for progressing a child up each of the 6 major Steps on the Steps to Eating Hierarchy.

** Participants are expected to attend all 5 days the Conference for the entire length of each day in order to receive their Certificate of Attendance. Participants will miss crucial information needed to be able to correctly use the SOS Approach to Feeding program if they come late or leave the Conference early and/or if they step away from their computer for any extended length of time.

Dr. Kay A. Toomey

Dr. Kay A. Toomey

  • Paid Consultant for Nestec, a division of Nestle (Gerber Child Advocate/Developmental Panel member)
  • Owner Toomey & Associates, Inc. and the SOS Approach to Feeding program
  • Founding Medical Professional Council Member with Feeding Matters - PFD Alliance Committee Member (unpaid)

Dr. Kay A. Toomey is a Pediatric Psychologist who has worked with children who don’t eat for almost 30 years.  She has developed the SOS Approach to Feeding as a family centered program for assessing and treating children with feeding problems.  Dr. Toomey speaks nationally and internationally about her approach.  She also acts as a consultant to Gerber Products.  Dr. Toomey helped to form The Children’s Hospital – Denver’s Pediatric Oral Feeding Clinic, as well as the Rose Medical Center’s Pediatric Feeding Center.  Dr. Toomey co-chaired the Pediatric Therapy Services Department at Rose Medical Center prior to entering private practice.  Dr. Toomey acted as the Clinical Director for Toomey & Associates, Inc.’s Feeding Clinic for six years and SOS Feeding Solutions @ STAR for eight years. Dr. Toomey is currently the President of Toomey & Associates, Inc., and acts as a Clinical Consultant to the Feeding Clinic at STAR Institute. 

Dr. Erin Sundseth Ross

Dr. Erin S. Ross

  • Consultant for Nestec, a division of Nestle (Gerber Child Advocate/Developmental Panel member) (paid) 
  • Consultant for Intertek (paid)
  • Speaker for Toomey & Associates, Inc. & Feeding Fundamentals, LLC (paid) 
  • Co-Author, “Behaviorally Based Feeding Problems” in Suiter & Gosa (Eds.) Assessing and Treating Dysphagia:  A Lifespan Perspective (2019). New York: Thieme Publishers (unpaid)
  • Salary, Feeding FUNdamentals, LLC. (paid)
  • PFD Alliance Leadership with Feeding Matters – PFD Alliance Advocacy Chair (unpaid)

Dr. Erin Sundseth Ross is a Speech Pathologist with a Doctoral degree in Clinical Sciences – Health Services Research.  She completed a two-year post-doctoral training in the Section of Nutrition and is a Clinical Instructor in the School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, at the University of Colorado Denver.  Dr. Ross has over 25 years of experience working in the NICU within several HealthONE hospitals, and with children when she was at the SOS Feeding Solutions clinic in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Ross is the creator of the SOFFI Method TM, a feeding program for use in the NICU.  She has specialized in the development of feeding skills, and the etiology and treatment of feeding and growth problems in infants and very young children from initial hospitalization through the first 5 years of life. 

Place : Virtual Live Streamed Conference

Address :

Zoom

Description

- Early registration and settlement of full amount until December 20, 2020 will cost €695 + 19% VAT 
(Payable amount including VAT €827,05). 
- Registration after the December 20, 2020 will cost €745 + 19% VAT (Payable amount including VAT  €886,55)

*The VAT will not be charged in the following cases:
- In organisations or companies with in EU that are VAT registered.
- To natural and/or legal persons from third countries (outside the EU)

Denial of Responsibility:
 
All the information contained in this flyer is accurate at the time of release. Organizers of this event have the right to make changes to the program, topics, and speakers as deemed necessary without prior notification.


Cancellation Policy:

Cancellation will have to be send in written until January 15, 2021 .
- A €90 administrative fee will be applied to all refunds.
- No refunds will be issued for cancellations received on  February 5th, 2020 or later, but registration may be substituted for another attendee.
AbleTools Ltd must be notified of substitutions at least 24 hours in writing (email acceptable) before the start of the event otherwise the substitution cannot be honored. If the organizers cancel the course, full amount of registration fees will be returned.
The organizer is not responsible for delays or cancellations due to weather, airline mechanical or scheduling issues, acts of God and acts of terrorism. If the conference is cancelled due to weather, airline mechanical or scheduling issues, acts of God and acts of terrorism, AbleTools ltd will make good faith effort to reschedule this Conference at the first possible mutually decided upon date between the HOST and SPEAKER.

Liability:

The organizers assume no responsibility for any loss or damage to property or any injury to a participant that may take place during or outside the duration of the seminar. 

Technical Requirements

  • A computer is the preferred device for participating in this on-line Conference. Taking the conference on a phone is not permitted.  A tablet might be allowable if the other requirements below can be met with that tablet.
  • You MUST be able to hard-wire your computer directly into the Internet via an Ethernet cord. WiFi connections to the internet are not sufficient and will not provide you with enough clarity to view videos and Speaker demonstrations.  In addition, WiFi connections cause many technical problems resulting in too much time lost from the conference.    
  • A working Webcam on your computer is required (most laptops have the camera embedded).
  • YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ONE OF THE CONFERENCE TEST RUN SESSIONS during the week prior to the conference. Your Conference Welcome Email sent 2 weeks prior to the Conference Start Date will give you the Zoom Links and the dates + times for those Test Run sessions.  THESE TEST RUNS ARE TO CHECK YOUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY AND CORRECTLY WITH THE SPEAKERS DURING THE CONFERENCE ITSELF.  Therefore, it will be best that you take the Test Run from the computer that you will be taking the Conference on. 

Time Zone Requirements

  • You must be within the eligible time zone in order to participate in the conference
  • Eligible times for this conference would be for the participant to live no more than 8 hours BEHIND the Cyprus (GMT + 2) Time Zone, and no more than 2 hours AHEAD of Cyprus (GMT+2) time zone

In order to keep the SOS Approach to Feeding online conference on schedule, please log into the Zoom platform at least 10 minutes prior to the start of each of the Conference days.  This will allow our staff to resolve any technical issues you may encounter while keeping the conference on schedule.

 

Conference Guidelines and Expectations

  • Conference participants are required to sign into Zoom each day.
    • The login process will mirror the typical sign-in/sign-out requirements which are used in the SOS Approach to Feeding’s in-person conferences and set forth by most Professional Associations.
    • If the participant has not logged in, an SOS Conference Administrator will contact the participant to identify and problem solve any potential technical issues interfering with login.
      • If you are encountering any technical issues, we have support staff available to assist you. Please contact us at info@sosapproach.com or by calling #1-720-672-1143 as soon as possible
    • If the participant has not logged in and the issue is determined to be something other than a technical issue, an SOS Conference Administrator will work with the participant to determine a plan for resolving the issue.
    • Participants are REQUIRED to arrive on-time for each day of the Conference and to attend the Conference in its’ entirety.

  • Conference participants will be expected to answer 8-10 Test Questions twice each day IN ENGLISH to demonstrate understanding of materials presented. If the Participant feels that they must have the SOS Tests presented to them in Greek in order to accurately pass the tests, the Participants MUST notify the HOST of this need during the registration process in advance of the Conference itself.  
    • Schedule of test questions
      • Days 1 and 2
        • Beginning of Dinner break (6:15pm to 6:30pm)
        • End of the day (9:00pm to 9:15pm).
      • Days 3, 4 and 5
        • Beginning of Dinner break (7:15pm to 7:30pm)
        • End of the day (10:00pm to 10:15pm)

 

  • Participants will receive Test Questions via Survey Monkey. Participants are expected to submit their answers prior to taking their scheduled break or leaving for the end of the day. Answers will be reviewed and scored by SOS Approach to Feeding Conference Administrators. 
  • Participants who do not answer the questions for each section will be contacted by an SOS Approach to Feeding Conference Administrator to problem solve any difficulties on the participant’s part in answering the questions.
  • To receive a Certificate of Attendance/Completion (via email), participants must answer 80% of the Test Questions correctly. If a participant does not pass, they will be contacted by an SOS Approach to Feeding Conference Administrator to identify next steps.

  • Participants will be expected to engage in Teaching Exercises as demonstrated and taught in the conference.
    • The Postural Stability Exercise will require you sit in a typical office/kitchen chair.
    • The Breathing Exercise will require you observe one of the SOS Professors, as well as engage in a short, shallow breathing exercise yourself.
    • The Developmental Food Continuum/Oral-Motor Exercises will require you to follow an SOS Professor in practicing with and eating various foods. THE FOOD REQUIREMENT LIST WILL BE SENT TO YOU IN A SEPARATE CONFERENCE WELCOME EMAIL 2 weeks prior to the Conference Start Date.
    • The Food Hierarchy Exercise will require that you create and submit a Food Hierarchy to the SOS Professors
    • The Steps to Eating Hierarchy Exercises will require you to play with food.
    • As part of this conference, you will be seen, and be able to see your colleagues participating in these physical exercises.

 

  • Conference participants will be expected to submit Comments via the Zoom Chat Box IN ENGLISH ONLY in response to questions asked of them by the Speaker at least twice and up to four times daily. These Comments will include your reactions to the Teaching Exercises.
    • If participants do not submit a comment when prompted, an SOS Approach to Feeding Conference Administrator will contact the participant to problem solve any difficulties on the participant’s part in providing their comments.

  • Participants will be required to have their computer camera on throughout the online conference to help verify attendance and participation in the Teaching Exercises.
  • Participants must provide a contact number and preferred email address where they will be available throughout the Conference to the SOS Conference Administrators PRIOR to the start of the Conference in case a Conference Administrator needs to contact you.

 

Additional Conference Requirements for Students:

  • The Student is ideally in their last year of graduate work in their program.
  • The Student is under the supervision of a Professor from their program who is aware that the student is attending the training.
  • This Professor must already be fully SOS Trained or must attend the same training conference as the student.
  • This Professor gives the student written permission from the Graduate program to attend our training – especially if the student is only in their 2nd or 3rd year of the program – and this permission letter is submitted with their registration form.
  • The Professor ensures that the student is not practicing the SOS Approach to Feeding program independently (I.E. the professor is present in the sessions with the Student and accepts responsibility and provides supervision for the student engaging in any treatment using the SOS program)

 


Phone +357 22 250 115


Fax +357 22 250 116

Address

  • Strovolos Avenue 149K, Strovolos, Nicosia, 2048, Cyprus
  • info@abletools.com.cy
  • +357 22 250 115
  • +357 22 250 116

Newsletter

Follow Us