Marketing a pediatric feeding therapy program

For pediatric SLP and OT practices, and the PTs who handle seating and positioning beside them: write the feeding program down before marketing it (ages, clinicians, evaluations, medical partners, what is not offered), then publish a page that answers a parent’s questions about fit, the first visit, medical information and payment, and promises no result.

What must a practice settle before marketing a feeding program?

What the program is, in writing, before anyone drafts a word: the children it serves, who provides it, how a child is evaluated, which doctors the practice works with, how families get in, and what it does not offer. Building the specialty itself, from competence records to swallow-study routes, is the subject of the feeding and swallowing specialty guide; adult swallowing care belongs on its own page, as the adult service page guide sets out.

A blank line on the sheet is a sentence the page cannot carry, and "our feeding team" is not a phrase for one SLP’s caseload.

Are feeding and swallowing the same question on a program page?

No, and the page says which it answers. ASHA defines feeding as all aspects of eating or drinking, from gathering and preparing food to sucking or chewing and swallowing, and swallowing as moving saliva, liquid and food from the mouth to the stomach while the airway stays protected; it treats pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) and pediatric dysphagia as distinct diagnoses that can occur together.⁠¹ AOTA frames occupational therapy’s part as the skills for safe and effective eating, joined to the child’s participation in daily routines.⁠³

Where a parent meets the diagnosis, define it once and cite it. The consensus paper by Goday and colleagues defines PFD as impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill and/or psychosocial dysfunction, and the 2027 ICD-10-CM code set, used for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, codes it R63.31 when acute and R63.32 when chronic.⁠^15,16 The diagnosis coding guide covers assigning them.

One boundary belongs on the page in plain words. ASHA states that SLPs do not diagnose or treat avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), a mental health disorder outside their scope, though they may screen for it, make referrals and, as part of an interprofessional team, work on related skill deficits that would support a concurrent PFD diagnosis.⁠¹ An SLP-led program does not advertise ARFID treatment, and an OT-led one reads its state practice act and payer policies before saying anything about eating disorders.

Which clinicians can a pediatric feeding program page name?

Those who provide the service and are prepared for the children it sees, with credentials exactly as held. In ASHA’s view, SLPs are the preferred providers of dysphagia services and interprofessional collaboration is the preferred practice pattern, and SLPs who serve children should be educated and appropriately trained for them and know pediatric swallowing anatomy and physiology in particular.⁠^1,2 Its Code of Ethics keeps certified SLPs within their competence and forbids those in administrative or supervisory roles to require or permit services beyond a staff member’s competence.⁠⁶

For OTs, AOTA sees a crucial role for OT practitioners in feeding, eating and swallowing challenges across all ages; read the state’s OT practice act before the page names swallowing work.⁠³ For PTs, the role is positioning: ASHA observes that a child’s positioning limits, for example in a wheelchair, can affect intake and breathing, and its school feeding evaluation includes an OT and PT assessment of eating and positioning equipment.⁠⁴ Name a PT for that role, not as a feeding therapist.

What do parents need to learn from a feeding program page?

Whether the concern warrants an evaluation, whom to contact, what the first visit involves, whether medical information is needed, and how payment works. Answer without diagnosing: name the concerns the program evaluates and say the evaluation is how the clinicians find out, since ASHA calls a clinical evaluation necessary to determine whether a feeding or swallowing disorder is present.⁠⁴

Write it without fear, blame or a leap from picky eating to disorder. For the AAP, picky eating is often the norm in toddlers and usually a normal developmental stage, and it tells a worried parent to talk with the pediatrician.⁠⁵ The consensus criteria for PFD call for a disturbance in oral intake that is inappropriate for age and lasts at least two weeks, together with medical, nutritional, feeding skill or psychosocial dysfunction; whether a child meets them is the evaluation’s question, not the web page’s.⁠¹⁵ ASHA wants food avoidance, such as refusing a bite, interpreted as the child communicating a message rather than as a negative behavior, and a page for parents takes the same tone.⁠¹

How can a feeding page describe warning signs without diagnosing?

As reasons to ask, each paired with where to go, never as a scored test. Among the signs ASHA lists for PFD are frequent respiratory illnesses, wet vocalizations, throat clearing or coughing, and stress and distress during mealtimes, and the consequences it names include poor weight gain and aspiration pneumonia.⁠¹ A page can name a few, but not as a quiz ending in "your child may have a feeding disorder": ASHA describes even a clinician’s screening as judging the likelihood of a disorder and the need for further assessment.⁠⁴ Breathing changes, poor weight gain or repeated chest illness go to the child’s doctor alongside the evaluation request; the intake call script covers that first conversation.

Where should urgent feeding concerns go instead of an inquiry form?

To emergency help, named before the form. The AAP says a child may be choking and need help right away if they cannot breathe, are gasping or wheezing, cannot talk, cry or make noise, or turn a bluish color.⁠¹⁷ A form is not watched every minute, so the page says plainly that breathing trouble during eating calls for emergency services and that a new or worsening concern goes to the child’s physician, and the form’s confirmation message repeats it.

How should a pediatric feeding program page be organized?

Fit first, then the team, the evaluation, medical coordination, setting, family participation, payment and the next step, each carrying only what the fact sheet supports.

Write one page for each location where the program runs, not a specialty copied onto every clinic’s page; the multi-location guide covers practices with several clinics, the pediatric service page guide the general structure, and the website content checklist the site around it. Adapt this introduction, deleting any sentence that does not hold for the practice:

Which claims need proof before they appear on a feeding page?

Any claim about credentials, equipment, a team, a diagnosis or a result:

How should the page describe working with a child’s doctors?

As it happens: whom the practice exchanges information with, what it sends and receives, and which decisions stay with them. ASHA’s possible feeding team includes the family, a registered dietitian, a lactation consultant for infants, an OT or a PT, and physicians such as a pediatrician, otolaryngologist, gastroenterologist or dentist.⁠⁴

Some decisions are never the therapy practice’s to advertise. ASHA gives the question of whether a child can take enough nutrition and hydration by mouth to the child’s interprofessional team, and notes that the medical team may make temporary recommendations, such as no oral intake, while a child awaits assessment.⁠^4,19 So a page can say, if the practice does it: "We send our findings to your child’s pediatrician and work with the specialists who already know your child; decisions about tube feeding and nutrition plans stay with your child’s medical team." It names a partner only with their agreement, and never implies that a partner endorses every treatment offered.

For a practice covered by HIPAA, sharing for care is allowed: the Privacy Rule permits a covered entity to disclose protected health information for another provider’s treatment activities, and HHS’s description of treatment covers care coordination, consultation between providers and referral.⁠²⁰ Explain at intake who receives reports; building those relationships is the subject of the pediatrician referral guide.

Should a feeding page list the procedure and diagnosis codes it bills?

Not as a promise of coverage; codes belong in the benefits check, where a family can give them to the plan. The procedure codes for this work include 92610 for a clinical evaluation of swallowing and 92526 for treating swallowing and feeding: ASHA lists both among the codes for SLP services, and AOTA’s 2026 list of frequently used OT codes includes both, along with the occupational therapy evaluation codes 97165, 97166 and 97167.⁠^21,22 ASHA tells SLPs that payers make the final coverage and coding decisions, AOTA warns that payers do not all accept the same codes, and the American Medical Association owns and copyrights CPT, so describe codes in your own words.⁠^21,22

This section is for education only: the payer’s policy and the current CPT and HCPCS code sets decide, and questions about a particular claim belong with the payer or a certified coder. The 92526 guide covers billing the treatment code.

What content helps families more than a sales page?

Pages that show a parent what the evaluation involves, what to bring and how therapy fits family meals, written with the clinicians. For background on the conditions, link a family guide such as DrSensory’s guides to feeding therapy and dysphagia rather than writing a clinical overview on every page. A parent’s story is not evidence that a program works: the FTC calls anecdotal evidence about individual experiences never sufficient to substantiate claims about a health product’s effects.⁠¹⁸

What should a page say happens at a feeding evaluation?

What ASHA describes, in a parent’s words. Its clinical evaluation typically begins with a case history drawn from medical records and interviews with the family and health care professionals, can include watching the child eat or be fed by a family member using food from home, and for toddlers replicates home as closely as possible.⁠⁴ The plan that follows says whether further referrals or testing, such as a swallow study, are warranted, and whether the child can eat and drink by mouth in a way that meets nutrition and hydration needs; ASHA also asks for culturally responsive assessment and encourages families to bring household foods and drinks and the child’s usual utensils.⁠⁴

How should a page explain therapy at home and at family meals?

As a partnership the family shapes, with a schedule set after the evaluation, not a fixed package. ASHA calls caregiver coaching an important part of feeding and swallowing service delivery, asks clinicians to respect the family’s customs and traditions around mealtimes, and ties how often and how long therapy runs to the child’s medical status, nutritional needs and readiness for oral intake.⁠¹⁹ A "12-week feeding bootcamp" sold before anyone has seen the child says the opposite.

Telehealth goes on the page only if the clinicians provide it, with its limits: ASHA calls the evidence for pediatric feeding telepractice still emerging while describing the models as feasible, and its code permits telepractice that follows professional standards and state and federal rules.⁠^6,19

Can a feeding page cite research or report its own results?

Only claims the practice can support, read the way a parent reads them. The FTC’s health products guidance, resting on a law that also reaches false advertising for services, judges an ad as a whole, sets competent and reliable scientific evidence as the standard for health claims, and counts a practitioner’s observations of patients as anecdotal, which is what a "success rate" from discharge notes is.⁠¹⁸ ASHA bars promising results directly or by implication, APTA’s code, effective January 1, 2026, asks PTs and PTAs for truthful, accurate information about their services, and AOTA holds OT personnel to ethical conduct with clients, families and payers.⁠^6,7,23

Can a feeding program use children’s photos, videos or stories?

Only with a valid written authorization when the practice is covered by HIPAA, usually signed by the parent or guardian, and never as proof of results. HHS treats a health care provider as covered only when it sends information electronically in a transaction HHS has adopted a standard for, and says an entity outside the definition does not have to comply with the HIPAA Rules.⁠²⁴ ASHA’s code holds certified SLPs to confidentiality either way.⁠⁶

For a covered practice, the Privacy Rule counts as marketing any communication about a product or service that encourages people to buy or use it, and requires an authorization before protected health information is used or disclosed for marketing, with exceptions only for face-to-face communication and promotional gifts of nominal value.⁠^9,25

For a child, the parent usually signs: the rule treats a parent, guardian or other person acting in loco parentis with authority over the child’s health care decisions as the child’s personal representative, and HHS lists three situations where the parent is not.⁠¹⁰ Among its required elements, a valid authorization describes each purpose, carries an expiration date or event and a signature, and describes a representative’s authority when one signs; the practice may not make treatment depend on signing it.⁠⁹ Where a picture is needed, the room, the equipment or a staff demonstration shows no patient at all.

A story about results raises a second question. Under the FTC’s endorsement guides, which treat a service as a product, a family’s account of a central result is likely read as what others generally achieve, endorsements from consumers do not count as competent and reliable scientific evidence, and a family’s words may not be shown out of context or reworded so that their experience is distorted.⁠⁸ A "results not typical" line does not cure a testimonial reporting more dramatic results than others can generally expect.⁠¹⁸ Reviews have their own FTC review rule guide.

Can the practice tell current families about the new program?

Yes, without an authorization, if no outside party pays for the message. The Privacy Rule’s definition of marketing excludes a communication describing a health-related service the covered entity itself provides, unless it receives financial remuneration for making it, and HHS gives as an example of a communication that is not marketing a hospital’s general mailing, sent from its patient list, announcing a new specialty group.⁠^25,26 Keep the announcement general, with no child’s name, photo or story.

How should the page explain payment, access and waitlists?

Child by child: how coverage is checked, the routes the practice really offers, and what happens when evaluations are full. "Insurance accepted" tells a parent nothing; "we are in network with these plans for this program’s clinicians, and we check your child’s benefits before the first visit" does, as the insurance and fees guide explains.

• Medicaid and EPSDT. For children under 21 enrolled in Medicaid, EPSDT requires states to furnish the 1905(a) services that are coverable and medically necessary to correct and ameliorate health conditions, even when the state plan leaves them out, and states decide medical necessity case by case.⁠¹¹ Say whether the practice is enrolled, and that coverage is confirmed for each child; the EPSDT guide and the Medicaid enrollment guide cover the rest.
• Self-pay. A provider must tell uninsured and self-pay families that a good faith estimate is available, in a notice prominently displayed on its website and in the office, given orally when scheduling or cost questions come up, and offered in accessible formats and the languages families speak; any question about cost is treated as a request for an estimate.⁠¹² CMS tells patients an estimate is usually due when they schedule at least 3 business days ahead or ask for one.⁠²⁷ Link the notice from the program page.
• Referrals and orders. Say whether each payer the program bills asks for a physician’s referral or order; the physician order guide sorts out which do.
• Language and culture. Name the languages sessions run in and how interpreters are arranged, only as provided; ASHA’s evaluation guidance honors a family’s cultural background and dietary practices, so the page can welcome the family’s own foods.⁠⁴

What should a feeding page say about openings and the waitlist?

The date it was last updated, what is open now, evaluations or ongoing therapy, and that joining a list is not a decision about coverage or treatment. A family evaluated in October and told to wait until spring for weekly therapy needs to know that before booking. A capacity line nobody updates misleads more than none. The waitlist guide covers running the list without promising dates.

How does a feeding program appear on a DrSensory listing?

As the clinic describes it, at the address where the program runs. Families pay nothing to search DrSensory for OT, PT and speech therapy clinics that see children, adults or both, across all 50 states and Washington, DC; listings are for clinics, never individual therapists, and each covers one clinic at one address.⁠^13,14 A basic listing costs nothing, claiming it is free, and the paid listing is a subscription priced per clinic.⁠¹³

On a listing without a paid plan, service and condition tags are matched from the words DrSensory holds about the clinic. On a paid listing, the clinic ticks its own tags in the portal, among them a feeding and swallowing (dysphagia) service tag, sets the ages and conditions treated, and writes a description of up to 1,200 characters shown in its own words.⁠^13,14,28 Tick the feeding tag only at the address where a clinician who provides the program works, and say which ages it sees and what it does not offer; a tag it cannot back up loses the family it brought in.⁠²⁸

DrSensory does not verify clinical quality: "Verified" means the clinic subscribed and confirmed its own details, not that anyone checked its feeding work, so the listing is only as accurate as the fact sheet behind it. It makes no ranking promise and does not sell leads.⁠^13,14 A family’s message on a paid listing waits in the clinic’s portal, an email says only that one has arrived, and the clinic replies from its own address; without a paid plan the message reaches the DrSensory team, who try to forward it to the clinic on the family’s behalf and cannot promise that the clinic receives or answers it.⁠¹³ Either way it is an inquiry, not an accepted referral, and it enters the intake route the referral first-response guide sets out; the claim and optimize guide explains claiming and editing the listing.

What does adding a feeding program look like in one practice?

One launch, from the agency’s draft to the published page:

How do you check a feeding program page before it goes live?

Eight checks, by a clinician who provides the program and someone other than the writer:

1. The fact sheet matches. Every age, service, setting and clinician on the page is on the dated sheet.
2. Feeding and swallowing kept apart. The page says which questions the program answers, and any diagnosis it names is defined and sourced.⁠¹
3. Credentials as held. Each title and credential matches what the clinician holds.⁠⁶
4. The urgent route comes first. Breathing trouble during eating is sent to emergency services before the form appears.⁠¹⁷
5. No promised results. No food counts, timelines, success rates or "off the tube" lines, in headlines, images or stories.⁠^6,8
6. Authorizations on file. Every child’s photo, video or story has a signed authorization that names this use.⁠⁹
7. Payment is honest. The plans named are the program clinicians’ contracts, and the good faith estimate notice is linked.⁠¹²
8. The listing matches. The DrSensory description and tags say what the page says, at the address where the program runs.

How can you tell whether the page reaches the right families?

From the practice’s own inquiry log, compared month by month; no outside benchmark applies. Count the feeding inquiries the program fits and those it does not (an age it does not see, adult swallowing, an eating disorder), and the inquiries that became evaluations. Each mismatch points to a line of the page to rewrite, and a clearer page can draw fewer inquiries while more of them fit. The 90-day marketing plan puts the review on a calendar.

Sources

1. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing (ASHA Practice Portal, clinical topic; sections Overview and Signs and Symptoms). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “The scope of this page is feeding and swallowing disorders in infants, preschool children, and school-age children up to 21 years of age”; “This page covers pediatric dysphagia and pediatric feeding disorder (PFD). These are separate diagnoses but may co-occur”; “Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are the preferred providers of dysphagia services and are integral members of an interprofessional team. Interprofessional collaboration is the preferred practice pattern”; “The term feeding includes all aspects of eating or drinking, including gathering and preparing food and liquid for intake, sucking or chewing, and swallowing”; “Swallowing is a complex skill during which saliva, liquids, and foods are transported from the mouth into the stomach while keeping the airway protected”; “Food avoidance (e.g., throwing food on the ground, refusing to take a bite) should be interpreted as communicating a message”; “not as conveying a negative behavior”; “SLPs don’t diagnose or treat ARFID. SLPs can, however, recognize signs of ARFID, screen for the condition, assess for PFD, and make appropriate referrals to an ARFID treatment team or mental health practitioner when appropriate”; “SLPs may work as part of an interprofessional team managing patients or clients with ARFID, addressing related skill or other deficits that would qualify a concurrent diagnosis of PFD”; “Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is considered a mental health disorder and outside the scope of practice of an SLP”; among the consequences and associated symptoms: “aspiration pneumonia and/or compromised pulmonary status”; “poor weight gain and/or undernutrition”; among the signs and symptoms: “Frequent respiratory illnesses, tachypnea (fast breathing), or apnea (temporary cessation of breathing)”; “wet vocalizations”; “throat clearing or coughing”; “Stress and distress during mealtimes”.
2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing (ASHA Practice Portal; section Roles and Responsibilities). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “SLPs play a central role in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of infants and children with swallowing and feeding disorders”; “Referring the patient to other professionals as needed to rule out other conditions, determine etiology, and facilitate patient access to comprehensive services”; “SLPs who serve a pediatric population should be educated and appropriately trained to do so (ASHA, 2023). SLPs require specific knowledge of pediatric swallowing anatomy and physiology to treat pediatric feeding disorders and dysphagia”; “Evaluation, assessment, and treatment of pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders may require the efforts of multiple specialists on an interprofessional team. Members of the feeding and swallowing team may vary across settings”.
3. American Occupational Therapy Association. Occupational therapy and feeding, eating, and swallowing (AOTA clinical topic page). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “Occupational therapy practitioners play a crucial role in addressing feeding, eating, and swallowing challenges for clients across the lifespan”; “Occupational Therapy interventions support the skills needed for safe and effective eating and swallowing”; “By integrating therapeutic strategies with meaningful activities, practitioners help enhance clients’ participation in daily routines and improve their overall quality of life”.
4. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing (ASHA Practice Portal; section Assessment). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “Positioning limitations and abilities (e.g., children who use a wheelchair) may affect intake and respiration”; “A clinical evaluation of feeding and swallowing is necessary to determine the presence or absence of a feeding and/or swallowing disorder”; “SLPs conduct assessments in a culturally responsive manner to acknowledge and honor the family’s cultural background, religious beliefs, dietary beliefs/practices/habits, history of disordered eating behaviors, and preferences for medical intervention”; “Families are encouraged to bring foods and drinks common to their household and utensils typically used by the child”; “The clinical evaluation typically begins with a case history based on a comprehensive review of medical/clinical records and interviews with the family and health care professionals”; “Observation of the child eating or being fed by a family member, caregiver, or classroom staff member using foods from the home”; the evaluation may lead to “Interventions by and referrals to”; “medical or surgical specialists,”; “a registered dietitian,”; “a psychologist or social worker,”; “an occupational therapist (OT), or”; “a physical therapist (PT)”; “A team approach is necessary for appropriately diagnosing and managing pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders”; additional team members include “a lactation consultant (infants);”; “an OT or a PT;”; and, among physicians, “a pediatrician,”; “an otolaryngologist,”; “a gastroenterologist,”; “a dentist, or”; “The purpose of the screening is to determine the likelihood that pediatric feeding disorder and/or dysphagia exists and the need for further assessment”; “The medical team may make temporary recommendations (e.g., no oral intake, stipulation of specific dietary precautions) while the patient is awaiting further assessment”; “Appropriate referrals to medical professionals should be made when anatomical or physiological abnormalities are found during the clinical evaluation”; “SLPs collaborate with parents, nurses, and lactation consultants prior to assessing feeding skills when appropriate”; “A feeding assessment that replicates the home environment as closely as possible”; “Are further referrals or testing, such as an instrumental swallowing evaluation, warranted?”; “Can the child eat and drink orally in a way that meets nutrition and hydration needs?”; “An assessment of adaptive equipment for eating and positioning by an OT and a PT”; “Instrumental evaluation is completed in a medical setting. These studies are a team effort and may include the radiologist, radiology technician, and SLP”.
5. American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. 10 Tips for Parents of Picky Eaters (AAP Committee on Nutrition, last updated April 26, 2018). “Picky eating is often the norm for toddlers”; “If you are concerned about your child’s diet, talk with your pediatrician”; “picky eating usually is a normal developmental stage for toddlers”. Checked October 26, 2026.
6. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Code of Ethics (effective March 1, 2023; Principles of Ethics I, II and III). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “Individuals shall provide all clinical services and scientific activities competently”; “Individuals may make a reasonable statement of prognosis, but they shall not guarantee”; “directly or by implication”; “the results of any treatment or procedure”; “Individuals who hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence may provide services via telepractice consistent with professional standards and state and federal regulations”; “Individuals who hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence shall engage in only those aspects of the professions that are within the scope of their professional practice and competence, considering their certification status, education, training, and experience”; “Individuals in administrative or supervisory roles shall not require or permit their professional staff to provide services or conduct research activities that exceed the staff member’s certification status, competence, education, training, and experience”; “Individuals shall protect the confidentiality of information about persons served professionally or participants involved in research and scholarly activities. Disclosure of confidential information shall be allowed only when doing so is legally authorized or required by law”; “Individuals shall not misrepresent their credentials, competence, education, training, experience, or scholarly contributions”; “Individuals shall not misrepresent diagnostic information, services provided, results of services provided”; “Individuals’ statements to the public shall adhere to prevailing professional standards and shall not contain misrepresentations when advertising, announcing, or promoting their professional services, products, or research”.
7. American Physical Therapy Association. Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapy Profession (APTA policy page and its PDF; the page for the former code, Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist, says when the new one took effect). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “At its 2025 meeting, the APTA House of Delegates adopted a new Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapy Profession”; “This new Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapy Profession went into effect Jan 1, 2026”; Standard of Conduct 6.1: “Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants shall provide information about their services that is truthful and accurate and shall not make misleading representations in any forms of communication, including billing”; 6.A: “Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants shall strive to provide relevant and truthful information to current and prospective patients and clients about the services to be provided”.
8. Federal Trade Commission. Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, 16 CFR Part 255 (eCFR, current text up to date as of October 23, 2026; sections 255.0(d), 255.1(a) and (b), and 255.2(a) and (b)). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “For purposes of this part, the term “product” includes any product, service, brand, company, or industry”; “Endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser. Furthermore, an endorsement may not convey any express or implied representation that would be deceptive if made directly by the advertiser”; “the endorsement may not be presented out of context or reworded so as to distort in any way the endorser’s opinion or experience with the product”; “Consumer endorsements themselves are not competent and reliable scientific evidence”; “An advertisement containing an endorsement relating the experience of one or more consumers on a central or key attribute of the product will likely be interpreted as representing that the endorser’s experience is representative of what consumers will generally achieve with the advertised product in actual, albeit variable, conditions of use”.
9. eCFR. 45 CFR 164.508 Uses and disclosures for which an authorization is required (HIPAA Privacy Rule, current text up to date as of October 23, 2026; paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(3), (b)(4) and (c)(1)). Checked October 26, 2026.
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   “Except as otherwise permitted or required by this subchapter, a covered entity may not use or disclose protected health information without an authorization that is valid under this section”; “a covered entity must obtain an authorization for any use or disclosure of protected health information for marketing, except if the communication is in the form of: (A) A face-to-face communication made by a covered entity to an individual; or (B) A promotional gift of nominal value provided by the covered entity”; “A covered entity may not condition the provision to an individual of treatment, payment, enrollment in the health plan, or eligibility for benefits on the provision of an authorization”; “A description of each purpose of the requested use or disclosure”; “An expiration date or an expiration event that relates to the individual or the purpose of the use or disclosure”; “Signature of the individual and date. If the authorization is signed by a personal representative of the individual, a description of such representative’s authority to act for the individual must also be provided”.
10. eCFR. 45 CFR 164.502 Uses and disclosures of protected health information: General rules (HIPAA Privacy Rule, current text up to date as of October 23, 2026; paragraph (g)), with HHS’s guidance Personal Representatives (content last reviewed January 5, 2024). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “a covered entity must, except as provided in paragraphs (g)(3) and (g)(5) of this section, treat a personal representative as the individual for purposes of this subchapter”; “If under applicable law a parent, guardian, or other person acting in loco parentis has authority to act on behalf of an individual who is an unemancipated minor in making decisions related to health care, a covered entity must treat such person as a personal representative”; HHS: “In most cases under the Rule, a parent, guardian, or other person acting in loco parentis (collectively, “parent”) is the personal representative of the minor child”; “However, the Privacy Rule specifies three circumstances in which the parent is not the “personal representative” with respect to certain health information about his or her minor child”.
11. Medicaid.gov, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment. Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit provides comprehensive and preventive health care services for children under age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid”; “States are required to furnish all 1905(a) Medicaid coverable, appropriate, and medically necessary services needed to correct and ameliorate health conditions, based on certain federal guidelines”; “States are required to provide any additional 1905(a) services that are coverable under the Federal Medicaid program and found to be medically necessary to treat, correct, or reduce illnesses and conditions discovered regardless of whether the service is covered in a state’s Medicaid plan”; “It is the responsibility of states to determine medical necessity on a case-by-case basis”.
12. eCFR. 45 CFR 149.610 Requirements for provision of good faith estimates of expected charges for uninsured (or self-pay) individuals (current text up to date as of October 23, 2026; paragraph (b)(1)). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Informing all uninsured (or self-pay) individuals of the availability of a good faith estimate of expected charges upon scheduling an item or service or upon request”; “Written in a clear and understandable manner, prominently displayed (and easily searchable from a public search engine) on the convening provider’s or convening facility’s website, in the office, and on-site where scheduling or questions about the cost of items or services occur”; “Orally provided when scheduling an item or service or when questions about the cost of items or services occur”; “Made available in accessible formats, and in the language(s) spoken by individual(s) considering or scheduling items or services with such convening provider or convening facility”; “Convening providers and convening facilities shall consider any discussion or inquiry regarding the potential costs of items or services under consideration as a request for a good faith estimate”.
13. DrSensory. DrSensory for Therapists (the For Therapists hub, last updated October 7, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “DrSensory is a directory families use free to find occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy clinics”; “Every clinic keeps a basic listing at no cost”; “The first location is $29.99 a month or $349.99 a year; each additional location is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year”; “It is priced per clinic, not per therapist”; “The directory lists clinics rather than individual therapists, so one listing covers a whole practice at one address”; “Claiming costs nothing; activating is the subscription”; in its free and paid comparison, the row “Service and condition tags”; reads “Matched from the words we hold about you”; for a free listing and “The ones you tick in the portal”; for a paid one, and the description is “Yours, up to 1,200 characters”; ““Verified” means the practice took a subscription and confirmed its own details. It does not mean DrSensory checked its clinical work”; “DrSensory does not verify clinical quality”; “On a paid listing, your team does, in the portal; the email you receive only says a message is waiting. On a listing without a paid plan, the message comes to the DrSensory team, who try to reach the clinic by forwarding it on the family’s behalf; DrSensory cannot guarantee that the clinic receives or answers it”; “You reply from your own address”; “No ranking promise, on DrSensory or on Google”; “Does DrSensory list clinics that see adults?”. Its answer begins “Yes”.
14. DrSensory. Therapy Clinic Directory Pricing (the listing pricing page). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “across all 50 states and Washington, DC”; “Outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology clinics. The directory lists clinics rather than individual therapists, so one listing covers your whole practice”; “Inpatient rehabilitation facilities and chiropractic practices are not listed”; “A description in your own words”; in the free and claimed comparison, the row “Specialties”; reads “Basic, from our data”; for an unclaimed listing and “Full, and you edit them”; for a claimed one; the row “Ages and conditions treated”; is marked for a claimed listing only; “We do not guarantee rankings.”; “We do not verify clinical quality.”; “We do not sell your leads.”.
15. Goday PS, Huh SY, Silverman A, et al. Pediatric Feeding Disorder: Consensus Definition and Conceptual Framework (Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 2019;68(1):124–129, doi:10.1097/MPG.0000000000002188, read in PubMed Central, PMC6314510). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “PFD is defined as impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate, and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction”; Table 1, criterion A: “A disturbance in oral intake of nutrients, inappropriate for age, lasting at least 2 weeks and associated with 1 or more of the following”; “Food overselectivity (picky eating) is defined as eating a limited variety of foods or unwillingness to try new foods, despite the ability to eat a broader diet”; “Optimal care of children with PFD requires a team approach”.
16. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. ICD-10 (CMS page for the 2027 ICD-10-CM files) and its 2027 ICD-10-CM code descriptions in tabular order (file icd10cm_codes_2027.txt). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Use these files for discharges occurring from October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 and for patient encounters occurring from October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027”; the code file lists “R6330 Feeding difficulties, unspecified”; “R6331 Pediatric feeding disorder, acute”; “R6332 Pediatric feeding disorder, chronic”; “R6339 Other feeding difficulties”.
17. American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. Choking Prevention for Babies & Children: What Every Parent Needs to Know (AAP Council on Injury, Violence & Poison Prevention, last updated February 27, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “A child may be choking and need help right away if they:”; “can’t breathe”; “are gasping or wheezing”; “can’t talk, cry or make noise”; “turn a bluish color”.
18. Federal Trade Commission. Health Products Compliance Guidance (FTC staff business guidance, December 2022). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Section 12 prohibits the dissemination of false advertisements for foods, drugs, devices, services, or cosmetics”; “When applied to claims about the efficacy or safety of health-related products, the factors described above make up the FTC’s rigorous substantiation standard of “competent and reliable scientific evidence.””; “When identifying the claims conveyed by an ad, marketers shouldn’t focus narrowly on individual phrases or statements, but rather should consider each ad as a whole”; “Anecdotal evidence about the individual experiences of consumers, including surveys of consumer experiences, are never sufficient to substantiate claims about the effects of a health product”; “a healthcare practitioner’s observation about the effect of a health product on patients is anecdotal and doesn’t provide evidence of a causal relationship”; “Testimonials that report results more dramatic than users can generally expect are likely to be deceptive”; “attempts to disclaim dramatic results with statements like “Results not typical” don’t cure the deception”.
19. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing (ASHA Practice Portal; sections Treatment and Service Delivery). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Can the child receive adequate nutrition and hydration by mouth alone, given length of time to eat, efficiency, and fatigue factors?”; “This question is answered by the child’s interprofessional team”; “The family’s customs and traditions around mealtimes and food should be respected and incorporated into therapy recommendations and education”; “There is limited high-quality evidence supporting the use of oral motor exercises or sensory techniques in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorder–related sensory deficits and swallowing dysfunction in isolation”; “Clinicians should consider any available evidence before using any product or technique”; “Supporting evidence for telepractice in pediatric feeding and swallowing is still emerging”; “Telepractice assessment and treatment models are feasible and can help families avoid travel and receive services that may not be available in their local communities”; “Caregiver coaching is an important aspect of feeding and swallowing service delivery”; “Dosage refers to the frequency, intensity, and duration of service”; “Dosage depends on individual factors, including the child’s medical status, nutritional needs, and readiness for oral intake”.
20. eCFR. 45 CFR 164.506 Uses and disclosures to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations (HIPAA Privacy Rule, current text up to date as of October 23, 2026; paragraph (c)(2)), with HHS’s guidance Uses and Disclosures for Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations (content last reviewed July 26, 2013). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “A covered entity may disclose protected health information for treatment activities of a health care provider”; HHS: ““Treatment” generally means the provision, coordination, or management of health care and related services among health care providers or by a health care provider with a third party, consultation between health care providers regarding a patient, or the referral of a patient from one health care provider to another”.
21. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Codes: Speech-Language Pathology and Medicare Coding Rules for Speech-Language Pathology Services (ASHA billing and coding pages; the second lists 92526 and 92610 among the codes for SLP services). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “The CPT coding system describes how to report procedures or services and is maintained and copyrighted by the American Medical Association”; “speech-language pathologists should also contact payers for final coverage and coding decisions”; “Speech language pathologists may perform services coded as CPT codes 92507, 92508, or 92526”.
22. American Occupational Therapy Association. 2026 Frequently Used CPT and HCPCS Codes for Occupational Therapy (PDF; the list includes 92526 and 92610 and the occupational therapy evaluation codes 97165, 97166 and 97167). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Not all codes are accepted by all payers. Always review state rules, consult the CPT manual, and confirm payment policies with insurers prior to billing”; “Codes listed are effective as of January 1, 2026”.
23. American Occupational Therapy Association. Ethics (AOTA practice essentials page, which links the AOTA 2025 Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics). “Occupational therapy personnel, including occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students, have an obligation to demonstrate ethical conduct that reflects professional values when working with clients, families, caregivers, administrators, colleagues, policymakers, payers, and other health care professionals”. Checked October 26, 2026.
24. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Covered Entities and Business Associates (HIPAA for Professionals, content last reviewed August 21, 2024). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “If an entity does not meet the definition of a covered entity or business associate, it does not have to comply with the HIPAA Rules”; health care providers are covered “but only if they transmit any information in an electronic form in connection with a transaction for which HHS has adopted a standard”.
25. eCFR. 45 CFR 164.501 Definitions (HIPAA Privacy Rule, current text up to date as of October 23, 2026; the definition of marketing). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “marketing means to make a communication about a product or service that encourages recipients of the communication to purchase or use the product or service”; “Marketing does not include a communication made:”; “For the following treatment and health care operations purposes, except where the covered entity receives financial remuneration in exchange for making the communication:”; “To describe a health-related product or service (or payment for such product or service) that is provided by, or included in a plan of benefits of, the covered entity making the communication”.
26. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Marketing (HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance on 45 CFR 164.501 and 164.508(a)(3)). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “With limited exceptions, the Rule requires an individual’s written authorization before a use or disclosure of his or her protected health information can be made for marketing”; among its examples of communications that are not marketing: “A hospital uses its patient list to announce the arrival of a new specialty group (e.g., orthopedic) or the acquisition of new equipment (e.g., x-ray machine or magnetic resonance image machine) through a general mailing or publication”.
27. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. What is a good faith estimate? (Medical bill rights guide for patients, page last modified October 5, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Usually, if you aren’t using health insurance to pay for your care, your health care provider must give you a good faith estimate of expected charges if you request one or schedule services at least 3 business days in advance”; “You can ask your provider for an estimate before you schedule care. They must give it to you within 3 business days”.
28. DrSensory. How to claim and optimize your DrSensory profile (For Therapists guide, last updated October 7, 2026). Checked October 26, 2026.
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    “Your description can run to 1,200 characters and is shown in your own words; DrSensory adds paragraph breaks and changes nothing else”; the service tags under “Services we offer”; include “Feeding and swallowing (dysphagia)”; “Fewer, truer tags beat a long list”; “a tag you cannot back up costs you the family it attracted”; “Ticking the 18+ age band adds the adult conditions”.

Medical disclaimer. This page is for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is general guidance on running a therapy practice, not legal, compliance, billing or financial advice. It does not decide whether a child needs a feeding evaluation or can eat safely, which are clinical and medical decisions, and coverage and coding rules differ by payer and state.