If your child is struggling to eat, it can feel overwhelming trying to figure out what’s going on —and even harder knowing where to turn for help. Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD) is a newer diagnosis, and many parents haven’t heard of it yet. But understanding it could be the key to unlocking why mealtimes are such a struggle.

And as if that’s not enough, dealing with insurance and reimbursement for feeding therapy can feel like an entirely different challenge. That’s why I sat down with Jaclyn Pederson, CEO of Feeding Matters, an amazing organization dedicated to helping families like yours.

In this blog:

• What is Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD)?
• The key question you should be asking yourself before beginning feeding therapy.

• Tips for speaking with your insurance

• How your providers can help advocate for you

• Programs and resources for parents
• Trusting your mom intuition

Just so you know, this blog is based on my and my guests’ personal experiences, and research I’ve done as a pediatric occupational therapist. None of the below is medical, occupational therapy, or feeding therapy advice. When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission. Learn more about affiliate links.

What is Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD)?

Pediatric Feeding Disorder is a relatively new diagnosis that was approved for use in 2020. Prior to this diagnosis being introduced, there was no universally accepted term for pediatric (child) feeding challenges.

To put it as simply as possible, Pediatric Feeding Disorder is a condition where a child is unable to eat enough to meet the needs of their body. According to Jaclyn, this difficulty is associated with a dysfunction in 1 of 4 areas:

1. Medical
2. Skills
3. Nutrition
4. Psychosocial

Jaclyn explains that it’s closely related to Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and can cause moms, dads, and kids alike considerable stress at mealtimes. Feeding Matters is dedicating to supporting these families throughout this challenging journey.

The Key Question You Should be Asking Yourself Before Beginning Feeding Therapy

If your child has really been struggling with new foods, or has been diagnosed with PFD, there’s a chance you may have been referred to feeding therapy. Feeding therapy can be life changing for families, but it is a considerable time and financial investment, so Jaclyn tells us there’s one key question you should ask yourself before beginning. 

What do I want out of feeding therapy for my family?

For example:

• What does success look like for my family?
• Can we financially invest in feeding therapy?
• Do we have the time to invest in feeding therapy right now?
• What do we need to be thinking about to make this happen?
• Is my child nutritionally and medically stable to start feeding therapy?
• What kind of feeding therapy would be best for our family - outpatient, inpatient, intensive, online?
• Does the provider I’m considering work with my insurance?

Asking yourself this one big question can help make sure your family is set up for success when you’re ready to begin! 

Tips for Speaking with Your Insurance

Sometimes, insurance can feel like more of a roadblock that support when it comes to feeding therapy. Thankfully Jaclyn shared some amazing tips to navigate the insurance maze! Jaclyn recommends getting in touch with your insurance company and telling them: “this is what we’re struggling with, and get that on record, and we’re able to say these are the things that I’m hearing and seeing that we need, I’ve talked to my physician, they have referred me, and I want to better understand what you pay or cover.” 

This way, you understand exactly what the process is with your personal insurance company and decrease the likelihood of kickbacks.

Some questions to consider asking your insurance provider include:

• Is feeding therapy included in your policy?
• If so, what type of provider can you work with? (this can look like occupational therapists, speech therapists, dieticians, psychologists, etc)
• Are there certain diagnosis codes that are covered/not covered
• Are there certain treatment codes that are covered/not covered
• Do you cover out-of-network services

But this doesn’t have to fall all on you! Your provider can also be an essential ally to helping you navigate insurance challenges. 

How Your Providers Can Help Advocate for You

According to Jaclyn, insurance wants to make sure they’re covering what they should be covering. It’s essential that your provider’s documentation (daily notes) showcase where you are struggling, the progress you are making towards your goals, and how it’s helping you long term.

In cases where therapy is denied, providers can call into your insurance, understand why it was denied, and often request a peer-to-peer review to help advocate your case (I’ve done this many times on behalf of clients!)

Programs and Resources for Parents

Jaclyn also shared the amazing resources that Feeding Matters offers for FREE to support families of children experiencing feeding challenges

• The website: The Feeding Matters website is filled with tons of valuable resources including roadmaps, provider directories, insurance scripts, and more! Jaclyn recommends starting with the big orange button on the top left of the screen that reads “GET HELP.”
  
  
• Family Assistance Program: Applications are NOW OPEN from now until the middle of October for a $1000 grant that’s awarded to 10 families. This program not only allows you to use this grant for feeding therapy, but also to buy supplies such as blenders, utensils, tools, and more! This only happens 1x a year, so make sure to get your application in before Friday, October 11.
  
  
• Parent Mentor Program: It can feel overwhelming lonely when you’re struggling day-in-and-day out with your child’s eating. Feeding Matters offers a chance to get paired with a family coach that can share their own personal experience with PFD and offer emotional support.

Trusting Your Mom Intuition

I asked Jaclyn what her number one piece of advice would be for a parent of a child with feeding challenges:

“As a parent and often as moms, we are incredibly hard on ourselves. And I think that sometimes we get so focused on listening to providers, listening to experts, listening to social media, that we kind of lose sign of our gut and our intuition. And I think sometimes it takes reconnecting with that to be able to progress in whatever way works for you. I have heard so many instances of families kind of redefining what that meant for them. And that meant either seeking a second opinion, or bringing more data to an appointment to empower and advocate for their child. That meant if a certain therapy wasn’t working, taking a break and stepping away from therapy for a while to take the pressure off. I think it’s ok to listen to your gut and it’s also okay to ask for help, but giving yourself grace in the meantime is really important.”

Navigating Pediatric Feeding Disorder can be tough, but you’re not alone in this. Organizations like Feeding Matters provide real help and connect you with other parents who get what you’re going through. Trust your gut, don’t hesitate to ask for support, and remember to cut yourself some slack—this journey isn’t easy, and it’s okay to take it one step at a time.

And of course, I’m here to support you as well! I love providing practical education, tips, and strategies that empower you and help you feel more confident in supporting your child with sensory needs as they explore new foods. You can find more resources here to help you along the way.

A huge thank you to Jaclyn for sharing her insights and expertise - I’ve seen first hand how her work has changed families’ lives, and I hope it will for you too!  

About Jaclyn

With more than a decade of experience in program development, Jaclyn Pederson’s broad knowledge of programming in the public and social sectors includes program and strategic initiative design, fund development, special events, grant writing, and community engagement. A system thinker and positive team builder, she uses transformational leadership principles to develop energized and efficient workgroups that influence significant organizational and systemic change for all affected by pediatric feeding disorder –such as the development of the expanded PFD Alliance. Jaclyn also manages Feeding Matters’ strategic partnerships with numerous professional associations including American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN).

Some incredible resources from Feeding Matters:

• Feedingmatters.org 
  
  
• Instagram.com/feedingmatters
  
  
• Facebook.com/feedingmatters
   
• Family Guide: https://www.feedingmatters.org/family-guide/ *NOTE: this is currently under revision, with a Spanish guide coming in future years
  
  
• Financial Assistance Program: https://www.feedingmatters.org/family-assistance/ *NOTE: accepting applications through Oct 11. Only open seasonally (every Fall)
  
  
• PFD Alliance: https://www.feedingmatters.org/about-the-pfd-alliance/
  
  
• Power of Two: https://www.feedingmatters.org/resources-support/family-support/request-family-support/
  
  
• PFD and ARFID Overlap: https://www.feedingmatters.org/pfd-and-arfid-overlap/
  
  
• Family-Centered PFD Research Consortium: https://www.feedingmatters.org/consortium/
  
  
• Feed the Cause: https://www.feedingmatters.org/feed-the-cause/
  
  
• 2025 Conference: https://www.feedingmatters.org/2025-conference/
  
  
• https://www.feedingmatters.org/pfd-alliance-app/
  
  
• Diagnoses related to Feeding Challenges

References: 

1. https://www.feedingmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Toolkit.pdf 
2. https://www.feedingmatters.org/what-is-pfd/