Sensory Help Now

A 2-hour strategies course for parents who know why their child finds eating hard and want practical, evidence-based ideas to support them. The second course in our three-part feeding series, taught by Speech and Language Therapist Laura Osman and Occupational Therapist Louisa Hargett.

Part 2 of a three-part series

This three-part series follows a deliberate sequence — understanding first, then strategies, then mealtimes. Each part can be taken on its own, but they're designed to work together.

Part 1 → Reasons Children Don't Eat

Understanding · 2 hours · £20

The foundation: understanding why your child may be finding eating hard.

Part 2 → This course

How to Help a Child Who Won't Eat · 2 hours · £20

Practical, evidence-based strategies to develop the skills feeding requires.

Part 3 → Creating Positive Mealtime Experiences

Mealtimes · 2 hours · £20

Bringing it together at the table — your role, routines, and food acceptance.

If you haven't taken Part 1 yet, you'll get more from Part 2 if you have a clear sense of why 

Once you understand what's contributing to your child's feeding difficulties, the next question is: what can I actually do? This 2-hour course shares the positive strategies Speech and Language Therapist Laura Osman and Occupational Therapist Louisa Hargett use in their clinical practice — and importantly, it begins by looking at the strategies parents are most often advised to try, and why some of those can make things harder rather than easier.

The course covers four key strands of feeding skill development: building a child's relationship with food through play, developing sensory integration in everyday life, developing the physical and motor skills feeding requires, and reducing the communication demands at mealtimes that can make eating feel even harder. Each strand comes with practical strategies you can adapt for your child's age, stage, and preferences.

As with Part 1, the course includes structured "My Child's…" reflective sections throughout, inviting you to apply each strand to your own child as you go. The aim is for you to leave with a small, manageable set of strategies — not an overwhelming list — and a clear sense of how to introduce them at a pace that works for your family.

What you'll explore

Across the course, Laura and Louisa cover:

• The risks of commonly used strategies — what to do instead of forcing, bribing, withholding, or pressured "just-one-more-bite" approaches that often backfire
• Building feeding skills through play — including playing with food away from the pressure of mealtimes
• Developing sensory integration in everyday life — supporting the underlying sensory readiness for eating
• Developing physical skills — sitting, posture, and the motor coordination feeding requires
• Reducing communication demands at mealtimes — recognising when expectations to chat, answer questions, or perform manners can make eating harder
• What to do next — including useful videos, websites, further resources, and access to SIE tutor support