CPD EMPOWER: Feeding Assessment and Intervention with Children
This practical two-day workshop will guide occupational therapists through the assessment and intervention of feeding and eating difficulties in children. You’ll learn structured approaches to assessment and intervention, while exploring the impact of positioning, oral-motor skills, routines, and family dynamics. With a strong focus on responsive, family-centered practice and applying a neuroaffirming lens, this workshop will strengthen your confidence and clinical decision-making.
Program Overview
CPD Empower
This workshop is part of CPD Empower - OTA’s national CPD event series offering in-depth, OT-specific workshops across key areas of practice. Designed for both experienced clinicians and those ready to stretch themselves, each workshop stream delivers high quality immersive learning, expert facilitation, and practical insights you can take straight back into your work. For more information about the full CPD Empower experience, visit https://otaus.com.au/cpd-empower
Workshop Overview
Across two interactive days, this workshop provides occupational therapists with a comprehensive approach to feeding assessment and intervention in children. Day one focuses on developing a structured framework for assessment, exploring key influences such as breathing, gut health, oral-motor skills, positioning, and routines, as well as understanding conditions like ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) and PFD (Paediatric Feeding Disorder).
On day two, participants will build their intervention toolkit, with practical strategies for oral-motor therapy, adaptive equipment, positioning, mealtime routines, and promoting responsive, family-centred feeding practices through a neuroaffirming lens. Each afternoon includes dedicated time to workshop your own case studies, providing real-time feedback and problem-solving to support your clinical practice.
Day 1:Feeding Assessment
What you will learn:
- A structure for assessing eating and feeding difficulties in children
- The importance of breathing on eating
- Gut and nutritional markers impacting eating
- Basic oral-motor markers for eating difficulties
- The importance of positioning on eating
- The impact of routine on eating and feeding difficulties
- What is ARFID and PFD?
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Afternoon session will be a chance to discuss your case studies and get real time help.
Day 2: Feeding Intervention
What you will learn:
- A structure for intervention of eating and feeding difficulties in children
- Oral-Motor Intervention for OTs
- Cups, bottles, spoons, forks, bowls and more
- Problem solve positioning for eating
- Managing screentime and other distractions
- Importance of family meals
- Use of routine in the treatment of eating and feeding difficulties
- The importance of responsiveness in feeding
- How to put a neuroaffirming lens on feeding
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Afternoon session will be a chance to discuss your case studies and get real time help.
This session is suitable for:
This session is suitable for occupational therapists at all career stages who would like to improve their knowledge and skills in paediatric feeding assessment and intervention.
WORKSHOP DETAILS:
Thursday 26th March – Friday 27th March 2026 (2 days)
TIME:
Thursday 26th March 9:00am – 5:00pm
Friday 27th March 9:00am – 5:00pm
Registration commences at 8:30am each day
VENUE
Crowne Plaza, 1-5 Spencer Street, Melbourne
CPD HOURS
Total CPD claimable workshop hours: 13 hours
A certificate of attendance will be issued upon completion of the full course. Please allow up to 48 hours for the certificate to appear in your CPD tracker.
INCLUSIONS:
The following are included in your registration:
- Tea & Coffee on arrival
- Daily Catering - Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea (please note any dietary requirements at time of registration)
- Networking event ('Power Hour') 5:00pm - 6:00pm
REGISTRATION FEES
OTA MEMBERS
EARLYBIRD – $ 765 (Book on or before 2nd February 2026)
STANDARD – $849 (Book on or after 3rd February 2026)
Members must be logged in with username and password to register at the member rate.
Not already an OTA member? Sign up today here to enjoy great savings on CPD courses, events, conferences and unlimited access to local and international research publications, special offers from our partners and more!
NON-MEMBERS: $1099 – Book by 13th March 2026
Early Bird prices are not available for non-members
RSVPS close 13th March 2026
Note: All pricing is inclusive of GST
DISCLAIMER
All information is correct at the time of publication. OTA reserves the right to alter or delete items from the CPD calendar as required, and takes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, and changes.
All resources including copies of the presentation, along with all supporting documents and links are not for distribution and are the property of the presenter.
An OTA staff member or representative may be photographing this event for use in OTA publications and/or on OTA social media sites. If you do not wish to be photographed, or have your image published please make this known to the OTA representative at your course or contact OTA on 1300 682 878 or info@otaus.com.au
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Terms and Conditions including OTA’s refund and cancellation policy are available here
CONTACT US
Please email info@otaus.com.au or phone 1300 682 878
Presented By
Pippa van Wijk
Occupational Therapist
Pippa van Wijk, BOccThy MOccThy, graduated from the University of Queensland in 1994 with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. She completed her Masters in Occupational Therapy in 1999 through the University of South Australia. She has worked across the world (Australia; UK; Cambodia; Romania; Bhutan) in both metropolitan and rural settings, hospital, community and home visiting, face to face and via telehealth. Pippa has worked in the area of feeding her whole career, starting in a special school with children with severe physical and intellectual disabilities, before moving to the Royal Children’s Hospital Feeding Clinic. From there she went back to the community working for the Child Development Service as well as setting up and supervising the Australian Catholic University’s Student Feeding Clinic. She also mentors and supervises graduate therapists in public and private practice in all areas of OT. Pippa is a mum of 3 teenagers.