Supporting Oral Feeding in Fragile Infants (SOFFI)

Course Description
This course provides immediately applicable
practical information to help clinicians better
identify and treat the factors that impact
successful oral feeding of preterm and ill
term infants. Utilizing a multidisciplinary
approach— both in the NICU and after
discharge to early intervention through the
first six months—the course emphasizes
strategies to facilitate infant abilities and
develop caregiver feeding skills. The
objective is to identify feeding readiness and
provide intervention strategies from a
framework of normal development. A
holistic approach integrating the medical
fragility of these infants is emphasized, using
the BROSS approach and the SOFFI ©
Method.
Course Objectives
The participant will be able to:
· Identify necessary components of infant
development that indicate a readiness to
begin and sustain oral feeding, including
physiologic, motor and state organization.
· Discuss the development of oral-motor
skills in preterm infants.
· Describe the interaction between medical
and developmental level as they relate to
feeding readiness and the progression of
normal feeding skill development
· Identify infants who are not following a
normal progression.
· Use the BROSS approach to identify the
development of oral feeding skills and use
the SOFFI method to guide feeding
decisions and to plan supportive intervention
strategies.
· Use principles of normal development and
developmentally supportive care to facilitate
feeding progression, to include contributions
of both the family and the professional team.
· Identify the impact of various medical
conditions on oral feeding success.
Accommodations
We have a block of rooms reserved at
The Chimo Hotel near the hospital:
1-800-387-9779
1199 Joseph Cyr Street
Ottawa, ON K1J 7T4
Mention ‘CHEO Feeding Course’ when
booking for group rate of $109 per night
for a double room on business floor.
Reservations must be made by April 25,
2013, to guarantee group rate.
Audience
This course is relevant to professionals
working with infants including dietitians,
lactation consultants, nurses,
occupational therapists, physiotherapists,
speech language pathologists and
physicians.
Occupational Therapy
Service
401 Smyth Road
Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1
Fax: 613-738-4893
Supporting Oral
Feeding in
Fragile Infants
(SOFFI)
Course Instructor:
Erin Sundseth Ross, PhD,
CCC-SLP
May 9-10, 2013
Location:
Amphitheatre A
(Room # RGN2005)
Roger Guindon Hall
University of Ottawa
451 Smyth Road
Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5

Course Instructor
Erin Sundseth Ross, Ph.D., received
her Master’s degree in Speech and
Language Pathology from California
State University, Stanislaus in 1988.
She received her Doctoral degree in
Clinical Sciences – Health Services
Research from the University of
Colorado Health Sciences Center in
2007. Dr. Ross is currently a Clinical
Instructor in the School of Medicine,
Department of Pediatrics, Section of
Nutrition at the University of Colorado
Denver, and she holds an honorary
Research Fellow appointment with the
Clinical Nutrition Research Center at
the University of Queensland,
Australia. She has specialized
clinically in the development of
feeding skills, and the etiology and
treatment of feeding and growth
problems in infants and very young
children, and is the creator of the
SOFFI Method © 2008. Dr. Ross’
research interests are focused on
understanding feeding and growth in
the medically fragile infant, and on
identifying and treating infants and
young children who are not developing
typically in these areas. She has over
20 years of NICU experience, and has
worked with pediatric populations in
an outpatient feeding clinic – providing
a perspective that crosses over the
initial hospitalization through the first
5 years of life.
Course Agenda
Day One
7:45 Registration/Refreshments
8:15 Introduction, Welcome & Family
Roles and Expectations for Successful
Nurturing and Feeding
9:00 Feeding as a Developmental Process –
Physiologic, sensory and state
development
10:00 Break
10:15 Feeding as a Developmental Process –
Oral-motor development
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Medical Issues that Impact Feeding Skills:
Chronic lung disease, cardiac defects, oralmotor
deficits, gastro-intestinal disorders
2:15 Effects of the NICU Experience: Changing
the focus from volume to skill to build a
foundation for optimal feeding and growth
3:00 Break
3:15 Developmental Steps to Eating: The
BROSS Approach
4:45 Introduction to the SOFFI Method
Day Two
7:45 Refreshments
8:00 Using the SOFFI Method to Guide
Decisions Regarding Readiness and
Interventions for Infants Not Nipple
Feeding
10:00 Break
10:15 Using the SOFFI Method to Provide
Supportive Interventions for Nipple
Feeding (1)
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Using the SOFFI Method to Provide
Supportive Interventions for Nipple
Feeding (2)
3:00 Break
3:15 Supporting Transitions in Infant
Feeding
4:30 Wrap-up and evaluation
Registration Form
Name: ______________________________
Address: ____________________________
____________________________________
Phone: _____________________________
E-mail: _____________________________
Employer: __________________________
Discipline: __________________________
Cheque made payable to CHEO
Visa MasterCard AMEX
__________________________________
Card Number Expiry Date
Registration Fee: $375 for Non-CHEO Staff
$80 for CHEO Staff
Lunch & refreshments included.
Registration Deadline is April 25, 2013.
Registration accepted after deadline if space
permits.
Enrollment is limited. Cancellation Policy:
Please let us know by April 30, 2013, if you will
not be able to attend. A non-refundable $50
administration fee will be charged for
cancellation received after this date unless a
replacement can be found by the applicant.
For more information contact: Emalie Tavares
Tel: 613-737-7600 ext. 2702 Fax: 613-738-4893
Email: etavares@cheo.on.ca