Feeding Therapy in Phnom Penh: Supporting Children with Sensory and Motor Challenges

For many families in Phnom Penh, mealtimes can be a daily struggle—not just about food preferences, but about deeper challenges related to sensory sensitivity, oral motor delays, or behavioral resistance. If your child avoids certain textures, gags easily, or takes an unusually long time to eat, you’re not alone. These can be signs that your child may benefit from feeding therapy.

At OrbRom Center, we offer specialized feeding therapy to help children enjoy eating, develop healthy habits, and build a positive relationship with food in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.

What Is Feeding Therapy?

Feeding therapy is designed for children who have difficulty eating due to sensory, behavioral, or motor coordination issues. Unlike general nutrition advice, this therapy focuses on:

• Oral motor development (e.g., chewing and swallowing skills)

• Reducing sensory defensiveness (e.g., aversion to certain textures or smells)

• Improving posture and coordination for self-feeding

• Establishing routines that create positive mealtime experiences

Each therapy plan at OrbRom Center is personalized based on your child’s needs and developmental level.

Signs Your Child May Need Feeding Therapy

If your child shows any of the following, feeding therapy might be helpful:

• Picky eating beyond what’s typical for age

• Refusal to try new foods

• Difficulty chewing or swallowing

• Gagging, choking, or vomiting during meals

• Weight gain issues due to food refusal

• Tantrums at mealtimes or food-related anxiety

In Phnom Penh, more parents are learning that feeding issues are not about “bad behavior”—they’re often linked to sensory processing or developmental delays.

What Feeding Therapy Looks Like at OrbRom Center

Our feeding therapy sessions are designed to be both functional and playful. Children are never forced to eat; instead, they are gradually exposed to new foods and textures through exploration, play, and guided practice.

Therapists at OrbRom Center work closely with families to:

• Create safe, sensory-friendly meal routines

• Teach oral motor exercises for stronger chewing and swallowing

• Introduce new foods using child-led approaches

• Support caregiver strategies at home and school

We use a team approach—often integrating occupational therapy to support the child’s sensory regulation, attention, and self-feeding abilities.

Small Steps Lead to Big Progress

Progress in feeding therapy is measured in small, meaningful milestones—touching a new food, bringing it to the lips, or sitting calmly through a meal. With time and consistency, many children move from mealtime stress to mealtime success.

If you’re in Phnom Penh and looking for help, OrbRom Center is here to support your family every bite of the way.