Feeding & Mealtime Therapy
Support for picky eaters and children with oral-motor differences — so mealtimes feel calmer and your child’s diet can grow.
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About this service
Feeding & Mealtime Therapy
Mealtimes should be one of the easier parts of the day — but for many families they’re a source of stress. Some children eat only a narrow range of foods, gag on new textures, or have real difficulty with the mechanics of chewing and drinking. There’s a meaningful difference between typical pickiness and feeding challenges that need support.
Our occupational therapist looks at the whole picture: oral-motor skills, sensory responses to taste and texture, posture, and the mealtime environment. We use gentle, pressure-free approaches that build positive associations with food — never force — so your child can expand their diet at a pace that works.
Movement & Milestone Checklists
Vitality Kids Family Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre
When to reach out
Signs your child might benefit
Eats a very limited range of foods (often fewer than 20)
Difficulty chewing, managing, or swallowing food safely
Mealtimes are routinely stressful or end in conflict
Feeding differences linked to autism or motor challenges
Strong reactions, gagging, or distress with new textures
Trouble with cups, straws, or drinking
Avoids entire food groups or categories of texture
Why Vitality Kids
Why Ottawa families choose us
Paediatric-focused care
Play-based & goal-driven
Family-centred plans
Connected team
Our approach
How we help
01
Assess the whole picture
02
Build positive food experiences
Develop oral-motor skills
Coach calmer mealtimes
Heard From Ottawa Families
“We finally feel like we have a plan. The sessions feel like play to our daughter, but the progress at home is real.”
— Parent of a 7-year-old, Findlay Creek
- Ottawa location
- Parking
- Transit
- Insurers we direct-bill
Meet Our Registered Occupational therapist
Monika Lebouthillier
Book an appointment with Monika Lebouthillier
Occupational Therapist · Riverside South
Languages: Bilingual in English and French
Monika LeBouthillier is a registered Occupational Therapist with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario. She holds a Master of Health Sciences in Occupational Therapy from the University of Ottawa and provides services in both English and French.
Monika works with children and families to support participation and independence in everyday activities. Her areas of practice include sensory processing and regulation, emotional regulation, feeding, fine motor and gross motor skill development, self-care skills (activities of daily living), handwriting, visual-motor integration, and executive functioning. She has experience supporting children with a variety of developmental, sensory, and neurodiverse profiles.
Monika takes a collaborative, family-centered approach to care and strives to create engaging, meaningful interventions tailored to each child’s unique strengths and goals. She is committed to providing evidence-informed services that promote confidence, skill development, and successful participation at home, school, and in the community.
Questions, answered
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a picky eater and a feeding problem?
Many children go through picky phases. A feeding challenge is more persistent — a very limited diet, strong distress with textures, difficulty chewing or swallowing, or mealtime conflict that doesn’t resolve. An assessment can help you tell the difference and decide whether support is warranted.
Will you force my child to eat new foods?
Should this be a dietitian, a speech therapist, or an OT?
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Let’s help your child with feeding therapy
Visit Us
Vitality Kids — Riverside South, Ottawa
Click any concern below to learn about signs, our approach, and how we tailor therapy for children in Riverside South and across Ottawa.
Vitality Kids — Riverside South
Address
Earl Armstrong Plaza
160 Blanca Street, Unit 9
Gloucester, ON K1V 2V6
PHONE
Areas We Serve
Riverside South, Findlay Creek, Barrhaven, Manotick & Greater Ottawa
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Vitality is a physiotherapy and wellness centre with four locations in Ottawa, Kemptville, and Kanata, Ontario, Canada.
Locations
Vitality Kids
Earl Armstrong Plaza- 160 Blanca Street, Unit 9
Hours
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