Advancing the Family and Provider Partnership: Honor, Empower, Plan
April 12, 2023 9:00 am
Presentation Summary
To provide an engaging, interactive, and educational experience that promotes family-centered care where parents, caregivers, and providers partner to meet the individual needs of the child with pediatric feeding disorder so optimal outcomes can be achieved.
Learning Objectives
- Identify at least 3 foundational components of the family-centered care partnership
- Utilize a tool to assess areas of family-centered care to identify strengths and areas of opportunity for growth in the family/provider partnership
- Acquire evidenced-based coaching skills to empower families and optimize their partnership with providers for ideal family-centered care
Speakers

Natalie Petersen
Natalie Petersen is a mom to three boys – Emmett (9), Easton (8) and Everett, (3) and the wife of husband, Eric. She is incredibly passionate about helping families navigate the often challenging, and many times unspoken world of pediatric feeding difficulties, having experienced them with her own son, Easton. It is her goal to continue to bring awareness and shine a spotlight on pediatric feeding disorder, of which Easton was the first child diagnosed in October 2021. Through sharing her family’s journey, and specifically her perspective as a mom, it is her goal that others may find support and hope as they chart their own course for whatever journey their own family may be on. While the most important roles she holds are that of being a mom and wife, she is also a seasoned HR professional who in her spare time enjoys fitness, the outdoors and spending her time cheering on and shuttling her sons to all their sporting events.

Susan Hodges, OT/L
Susan Hodges is an occupational therapist, master coach and pediatric feeding specialist. Throughout her 35-year career, she has dedicated her practice to pediatric feeding, eating, and swallowing within a variety of settings, including the NICU, outpatient clinic, home-based and teletherapy services. Under her guidance as the Director of the Comfort Feeding Clinic at Desert Valley Pediatric Therapy in Phoenix, AZ, she maintained a clinical caseload and developed several programs including a multidisciplinary feeding team, a training program for speech and occupational therapists in the feeding domain, and the conceptualization, development, and execution of multiple feeding groups with a strong emphasis on parent/caregiver education. Her expertise has been shared through in-person workshops, virtual and web-based learning at the local, state, and international levels. She has extended her passion with volunteer work at Feeding Matters and is part of their PFD Alliance and executive council. She was humbled to be the recipient of the Feeding Matters 2022 PFD Healthcare Champion award. She considers herself fortunate to have worked with and learned from the many culturally diverse families she has been privileged to partner with in the Midwest and Southwest regions of United States.

Toneisha Bush, MA, CCC-SLP
Toneisha Bush is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Private-Practice owner from South Carolina. She has worked in a wide variety of pediatric settings to include NICU, outpatient pediatrics, clinic settings, and schools. Over the years, she has developed a love for all things PFD. "My desire is that ALL families and children with pediatric feeding/swallowing disorders receive the best quality care/attention they so desperately need and deserve from loving professionals who truly care about their overall health and well-being."

Ruth Bourque, OT
Ruth Bourque has a clinical background as an occupational therapist in pediatrics with a specialty area of feeding, eating, and swallowing. She received her bachelors degree in Psychology at Spring Hill College and a Master’s in Occupational Therapy from the University of South Alabama both in the Mobile, AL. She currently works at the Children’s Hospital in Savannah, Ga on both the feeding team and the occupational therapy team. She has experience in hospital, outpatient clinic, and home based settings. She has enjoyed volunteering with Feeding Matters since 2019.

Meghan Swanson, MS, CCC-SLP
Meghan Swanson completed her Bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences and her Master's degree in Communication Disorders at Arizona State University. She is a native to Arizona and has never left because everywhere else is too cold! Meghan has a passion for family-centered therapy and has enjoyed her time providing therapy at Desert Valley Pediatric Therapy since 2015. She has experience working with children from birth to young adulthood with a variety of disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cognitive delays, and Down Syndrome. Meghan has had formal training in treating feeding and swallowing disorders. Meghan strives to make mealtime enjoyable for the entire family and reduce mealtime stress. She believes food is such an important part of the day, not only for nutrition but also for social connection. In her free time Meghan enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband in the outdoors, hiking or rock climbing.

Jordan Haymes, M.S., CF-SLP
Jordan Hyames received her masters degree in Communication Disorders from Arizona State University. Before moving to sunny Arizona, she received her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Central Michigan University. Jordan is a proud Midwesterner but is learning to love the desert! Jordan originally planned to work with adults as a speech-language pathologist but discovered a love for pediatrics while working at a speech summer camp and can't imagine working with any other population! She has experience working with children of all ages and abilities, but has a passion for pediatric feeding. In her free time, you can find Jordan doing anything active outdoors, embroidering a new project, or teaching group fitness classes.

Thy Phan, RN
Thy Phan is a first-generation Vietnamese American whose parents were refugees during the VN war. She has been an RN for 11 years and 4 years of it being in the PICU. As a mom of a 2 year old she has experienced the most life changing and enjoyable experience. Thy describes herself as a horrible chef, but has improved immensely thanks to her son, whom she calls her muse. Both avid cheese lovers she has found that she shares basically the same taste preferences with her son. She dreams of traveling with him and enjoying different foods from around the world.