Foundation Skills in Handling Children with Food Refusal Issues

Course Date
Friday, 10 April 2026

Registration Deadline
27 March 2025

Time and Venue
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore
65 Pasir Ris Drive 1
Singapore 519529
Training Room, Level 4

Parent and Caregiver Training
** Approved for Caregivers Training Grant (CTG) by Agency for Integrated Care (AIC).
Full Course Fees: $150 (before GST)
Co-payment of$10* only payable to CPAS.
*CTG is capped at $200 per child per FY

Full Course Fees
$10 (Caregivers under AIC-CTG)
$150 including GST (Full Fee – Public)

Course Capacity
Max : 25 participants

Targeted Participants
Caregivers, School Teachers, Interventionists, Allied Health Professionals

Course Outline

Children with special needs are more inclined to picky-eating and food refusal. When their food refusal becomes severe, it could result in food jag (eating only one food or the same types of food for all meals). This course aims to equip caregivers with a basic level of knowledge and skills to reduce food refusal behaviors in children. Children with special needs may have underlying sensory issues which may lead to their food refusal behaviors. Parents and caregivers will learn strategies to deal with these issues to help their children accept a wider variety of food.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to learn to:

  • The process of swallowing.
  • Manifestations of food refusal behavior.
  • Underlying principles for food refusal behavior.
  • General guidelines for reducing food refusal behavior.

Course Instructor

Dr Mythra Mahesh is a Speech and Language Pathologist and Early interventionist dealing mainly in children with developmental needs. Career spanning 30 years in special education and early intervention. Special interests in Early Intervention of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Transdisciplinary & Family Centered Practices and Functional focused Early Intervention. Facilitating and harnessing natural environments and play for boosting early childhood development has been a key component of my work philosophy.

Ms Melanie Ding is a Speech and Language Pathologist with Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS). She completed her Bachelor of Science (Speech Pathology) (Honours) at Curtin University in Australia. Melanie is trained in Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Hanen More Than Words, Tech Talkers Series, and the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding. Her main areas of practice include Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), literacy, feeding and swallowing. She is currently working with children aged 7 to 18 at CPAS.

Ms Jaya Gopinath is practicing as an Occupational Therapist since 2000 and has been working in Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS) since 2015. She performed responsibilities in early intervention and adult rehabilitation such as evaluating rehabilitative needs, using appropriate assessment tools and developing customized treatment plans and goals, and delivering appropriate therapy interventions to help children to overcome difficulties and stressors. She also provide clinical services within a team structure to support children, with cerebral palsy and other disabilities namely developmental delay, autism, downs syndrome
and other chromosomal syndrome to meet their identified needs. She has an in-depth understanding of the diverse treatment modalities. She has served clients in feeding clinic along with multi-disciplinary team and specialized knowledge and skills in feeding, eating, and swallowing for Occupational Therapy Practice.

Terms and Conditions
– Parents / Caregivers are required to fill in the CTG Application form, and provide the necessary documents stated in the form as required by AIC.
– Registration will be confirmed only upon receiving invoice or full payment.
– If the participant is absent without valid reason or without supporting document, full course fees will be charged with no refund

Leave a comment