Northstar Center for Autism

10/06/2025

SAVE THE DATE! 🏔️✨ The 2026 IAPFS Conference is officially heading to Denver, Colorado!

Join us from September 24-26, 2026, for three days of groundbreaking research, collaborative learning, and professional networking.

Our theme, "Reaching New Heights in Evidence Based Collaborative Care," speaks to our collective mission to elevate the standard of care for children with pediatric feeding disorders. We'll be exploring the latest in research and innovative approaches to teamwork.

Get ready to connect with colleagues and climb to new heights in your practice! We can't wait to see you there. 💙

Call for abstracts are open. More details can be found at:
www.iapfs.org/convention-program/

10/03/2025

09/18/2025

❤️

💚September is NICU Awareness Month! 💚

At IAPFS, we honor the incredible strength of NICU babies, their families, and the dedicated professionals who care for them.

While we often associate the NICU with prematurity, it's crucial to remember that any baby requiring a NICU stay can experience feeding skill development challenges, regardless of their gestational age at birth.

👶 Babies born full-term can face medical complexities or require critical care that impacts the development of essential feeding skills. This can lead to difficulties with sucking, swallowing, breathing coordination, and overall oral motor development once they come home.

It's vital that all NICU graduates receive appropriate feeding support and assessment to thrive! 🍼

We're here to advocate for these little fighters and ensure families have the resources they need. 💪

💚 Join us this month in raising awareness and supporting these incredible journeys!

09/15/2025

My people!! I am on the conference planning committee, this will be a top notch event 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

SAVE THE DATE! 🏔️✨ The 2026 IAPFS Conference is officially heading to Denver, Colorado!

Join us from September 24-26, 2026, for three days of groundbreaking research, collaborative learning, and professional networking.

Our theme, "Reaching New Heights in Evidence Based Collaborative Care," speaks to our collective mission to elevate the standard of care for children with pediatric feeding disorders. We'll be exploring the latest in research and innovative approaches to teamwork.

Get ready to connect with colleagues and climb to new heights in your practice! We can't wait to see you there. 💙

Call for abstracts are open. More details can be found at:
www.iapfs.org/convention-program/

09/14/2025

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

09/05/2025

08/29/2025

YES!!!!!

🌟 August is National Wellness Month! 🌟
At The International Association of Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing (IAPFS), we recognize that caring for children with feeding and swallowing challenges requires not only skill and dedication but also deep emotional and physical resilience.

Providers and caregivers, your well-being matters just as much as those you care for. Research consistently shows that self-care isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Taking time to prioritize your mental, emotional, and physical health leads to:

✅ Improved focus and decision-making
✅ Reduced burnout and stress levels
✅ Enhanced compassion and patience

By nurturing yourself, you strengthen your ability to provide the best care possible. This National Wellness Month, we encourage you to pause, reflect, and prioritize your wellness. Whether it’s a moment of mindfulness, a walk outdoors, or reaching out for support—every small step counts.

Together, let’s foster a community where caregivers and providers thrive, because wellness fuels care.

08/28/2025

❤️

There are many known benefits of breastfeeding and breastmilk for mothers and babies. Pattison et. al (2018) aimed to highlight the child health outcomes for breastfeeding infants.

"Overall, our findings support the hypothesis that duration of breastfeeding is associated with fewer reported acute illnesses at 6-months of age and diarrheal illness and/or constipation episodes at 6-,12- and 24-months. Additionally, results from our study suggest a protective effect of breastfeeding from childhood overweight/obesity, as children who received breastmilk for 6 months or longer had lower odds of overweight/obesity at age 3 years."

Pattison KL, Kraschnewski JL, Lehman E, Savage JS, Downs DS, Leonard KS, Adams EL, Paul IM, Kjerulff KH. Breastfeeding initiation and duration and child health outcomes in the first baby study. Prev Med. 2019 Jan;118:1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.09.020. Epub 2018 Oct 1. PMID: 30287329; PMCID: PMC6322935.

08/04/2025

Yes!

Happy World Breastfeeding Week! 🤱✨

This week, we celebrate the incredible journey of breastfeeding and the vital support systems that make it possible.

For families navigating the complexities of pediatric feeding disorders, this support is more critical than ever.
From oral-motor difficulties to sensory aversions, pediatric feeding disorders can make every meal a struggle. Breastfeeding, in these cases, may require specialized support, including lactation consultants, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists.

This week, let's honor the dedication of parents and caregivers who are working tirelessly to ensure their children receive the nutrition they need to thrive. Let's also raise awareness about the resources available and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to care.

07/27/2025

July is Craniofacial Awareness Month! This is a crucial time to highlight the role of feeding care for infants and children with clefts and craniofacial anomalies. This specialized care is vital for ensuring appropriate nutritional intake, supporting timely surgical intervention, and promoting standard developmental trajectories.

Feeding success is often influenced by anatomical structure, and can be further impacted by syndromes, genetic diagnoses, or other medical conditions. Careful assessment, close and continued monitoring, and collaboration with multiple specialists to establish an individualized feeding plan is critical. From nutrition, to feeding equipment... to prepping for surgery.

Join IAPFS and become involved in an organization that is dedicated to ensuring appropriate multidisciplinary care is provided.