Target Audience

This course is intended for OTs and SLPs working with children on the autism spectrum under six years old. 

Course Information

To register for this course, use the button at the top or bottom of this page to navigate to the Zoom registration page. There is no cost to attend the webinar or receive your certificate. 

An introductory lecture focusing on pediatric feeding at the intersection of eating, development, and mealtime dynamics. The difference between eating and feeding, the roles of Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists, key milestones, autism challenges, and how to approach mealtimes as joint routines will be discussed, along with evidence-based strategies to support safe, positive experiences.


Occupational Therapists in attendance can receive 1 contact

Course Completion Requirements

To complete this course, learners must: 

  • Attend the entirety of the presentation. Partial credit is not available.
  • Pass a learning assessment of 10 multiple-choice questions with a score of at least 80%. You may take the learning assessment as many times as needed to earn a passing score.
  • Submit your learner information, and the course evaluation and feedback survey. 


Satisfactory completion will result in the attendees being eligible for 0.1 ASHA CEUs or 0.1 AOTA CEUs. 

Learning Outcomes

1. Define the difference between eating and feeding and recognize the roles of OTs and SLPs in feeding therapy. 

2. List developmental, milestones for feeding and recognize common challenges experienced by children with autism.

3. Identify strategies to support mealtimes as Joint Activity Routines, including general principles and evidence-based practices.

4. Recall safety considerations and identify appropriate referral pathways for additional feeding support.

Time-Ordered Agenda

0-5:00: Introductions, disclosures

5:00-8:00: What is the difference: eating vs feeding?

8:00-12:00: Our role as occupational and speech therapists

12:00-16:00 Developmental milestones overview

16:00-22:00: Feeding & Autism

22:00-30:00: Brief Overview of the ESDM & Joint Activity Routines

30:00-35:00: Mealtimes as Joint Activity Routines

35:00-43:00:  General mealtime principles

43:00-51:00: Feeding therapy best practices

51:00-53:00: Safety considerations

53:00-55:00: Who to reach out to for further support

55:00-60:00: Q&A

+ 4 minutes allotted for the learning assessment

Instructors

Elizabeth St. Lawrence, MOT, OTR/L

Liz joined Soar in 2023 as an Occupational Therapist and now serves as the Feeding Director. As a former picky eater herself, Liz is deeply passionate about transforming mealtimes from a source of stress into an enjoyable adventure. Her goal is to empower children and their caregivers with strategies that foster playful and positive food exploration.

Liz is a SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding trained Feeding Therapist. Her approach integrates key principles from the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) with feeding therapy, emphasizing play-based learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, research-backed techniques, and genuine fun. As Feeding Director, Liz is dedicated to standardizing and developing high-quality feeding therapy at Soar, refining processes and training fellow OTs to confidently apply their skills.

Connect with Liz on LinkedIn

Disclosures: Liz is a salaried employee of Soar Autism Center. She has no other relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.


JoHanna Poertner, MA, MS, CCC-SLP

JoHanna Poertner, M.A., M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist born and raised in Arizona, passionate about giving back to the Valley where she grew up. Before becoming an SLP, she worked as a nanny and special education teacher, experiences that shaped her love for supporting children and families. As Feeding Director at Soar, JoHanna focuses on expanding and standardizing high-quality feeding therapy while mentoring fellow SLPs. She blends principles from the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) with feeding therapy, centering play, assent, and neurodiversity-affirming care to make mealtimes meaningful, supportive, and fun.

Connect with JoHanna on LinkedIn

Disclosures: JoHanna is a salaried employee of Soar Autism Center. She has no other relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.

Accommodations & Contact Information

Captions will be turned on for this presentation. 

For additional accommodations requests, and other questions or comments, please email [email protected].