Feeding Therapy

GI Care for Kids partners with psychologists from Children’s Multidisciplinary Feeding Program and the Marcus Autism Center (Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta) to provide in-clinic feeding therapy. Feeding therapy includes both assessment and treatment – with a behavioral focus on improving a child’s relationship with food while concurrently empowering caregivers to restructure meals. The approach to intervention is behavioral in nature and supported by more than 30 years of research. While many families benefit from outpatient treatment at our GI Care for Kids locations, the assessment and treatment process also helps identify patients who may benefit from more intensive multidisciplinary intervention at the Feeding Program.

Dr. Valerie Volkert heads the Feeding Program at GI Care for Kids. Dr. Volkert holds an advanced degree in applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and is a board-certified behavior analyst, reaching the highest level of certification in the field of ABA. She joined the Marcus Autism Center in 2015 and began the collaboration with GI Care for Kids in 2016.