Exploring occupational therapy practice with children who are picky eaters and their families.
Luca C Holland, Michèle Verdonck, Pamela J Meredith and 1 others
PMID 40336780WHAT IT FOUND
Australian occupational therapists prioritise finding the underlying cause of picky eating before treating it.
They tailor interventions to the child's sensory and physical needs and the family's context, often delaying direct feeding therapy to address health issues or caregiver capacity.
Key findings
01Therapists focus on identifying the 'why' behind picky eating by assessing child-related factors (skills, health) and context-related factors (parenting, mealtime environment).
02Interventions are tailored and often multicomponent, starting with caregiver education and addressing health concerns before direct child-focused feeding strategies.
03Clinical reasoning is heavily influenced by the multidisciplinary team context and available resources, such as session limits or the need to refer to other specialists.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 10 participants, all from two Australian states, which limits the generalisability of the findings. The sample consisted of therapists with varying levels of experience, but the small number means individual biases or specific practice settings may disproportionately influence the themes. The interviews did not explore all aspects of clinical reasoning, particularly therapists' personal beliefs, which were not specifically sought. As a qualitative study, it describes reported practice and reasoning but does not measure patient outcomes or the effectiveness of the interventions described.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. One author received funding from the YES Research Program, which the paper states did not influence the study design or reporting.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the described interventions as evidence of efficacy. This study reports what therapists say they do and why, based on their reasoning processes, but it does not test whether these approaches improve eating outcomes for children.