SOS Hybrid Live Stream Main Training Conference – January 16-19, 2025 CST

Objectives/Agenda

1. List the seven areas of human function that need to be examined to provide a comprehensive Feeding Assessment.
2. Identify at least five of the oral, sensory, motor, cognitive or emotional developmental milestones key to being able to eat well.
3. List three reasons why children won’t eat, as based on learning theory principles.
4. Differentiate classical and operant conditioning principles as applied to resolving feeding problems.
5. Identify at least four of the necessary components of an SOS Approach to Feeding program for babies, toddlers and young children in either an individual or group therapy session.
6. List all three requirements for building a Food Hierarchy.
7. Identify at least one play based strategy for progressing a child up each of the 6 major Steps on the Steps to Eating Hierarchy.

** To ensure Learners successfully achieve the Learning Outcomes above and to satisfy the completion requirements for the SOS Approach to Feeding conference and continuing education credits, all attendees are expected to attend the course for the entire duration of each day (7:30 AM to 5:00 PM on Day 1 and 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Days 2-4).  Additionally, all Participants are required to take two multiple choice tests, with at least an 80% accuracy, each day of the conference to verify their understanding of the Conference materials. Upon full completion of the SOS Approach to Feeding Conference, participants must also complete a course evaluation form in order to receive their certificate of attendance.

Agenda-4.75-Day-Hybrid-SOS-Training-Conference-Virtual

Hybrid Virtual SOS Conferences – 2024 Participant Learning, CE Guidelines and Requirements – CENTRAL

Pricing/Cancellations

Registration Fees

• Standard Registration: $835

Cancellation of Registration by Registrant – Policy

• Cancellations must be received in writing to [email protected] no later than 11:59 PM CDT, December 16th , 2025 to receive a refund minus a $75 administrative fee. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received after 11:59 PM CDT, December 16, 2025.

• Please be aware that once you receive and view the 5.5 hours of online material for the conference you are currently registered to attend, you will no longer have the option to cancel your attendance at the in-person segment of your SOS Conference. If you receive and view the online material and then decide you cannot attend the in-person segment of the SOS Training Conference for which you have registered, you will have the option to transfer to a different in-person SOS Conference segment. You will need to notify us immediately if you need a transfer, along with which other SOS Conference you want to attend instead. There will be a $75.00 administrative transfer fee to place you in the new in-person conference. Please note that if you do not attend the in-person segment of the SOS Training Conference within 12 months you will forfeit your complete registration fee.

Registrations may be substituted for another attendee from the same organization.  Substitutions must submitted in writing by 11:59 PM CDT, January 2nd to [email protected] otherwise the substitution cannot be honored.

Registrations cancelled due to a family emergency or illness will be deferred to a future SOS Approach to Feeding Conference hosted by Toomey & Associates, Inc. within 1 year of the start date of the original conference.

Cancellation of the Event by Toomey & Associates, Inc.

Please be aware that Toomey & Associates, Inc. will present this conference despite one or even two Speakers being ill. One SPEAKER can present in an emergency situation, although it is certainly not ideal. If all three Speakers are ill, substitute SPEAKERS will be sent. If all 3 Speakers are ill and no substitute Speakers are available, this would then constitute a SPEAKER cancellation.

If the conference is cancelled by Toomey & Associates due to, but not limited to, the following:

• Speaker cancellation
• Limited enrollment
• Severe weather (snowstorm, flooding, etc.)
• Conference site issues (power outages, emergency situations)

Registrants will receive a full refund of their registration fee within 30 days of the originally scheduled conference by the method that the registrant used to pay for the registration. (If payment was received by credit/debit card, the refund will be refunded to the original credit/debit card used, if payment was received via a check, a refund will be provided by check.)  Costs incurred for nonrefundable travel arrangements or other related individual expenses will not be refunded by Toomey & Associates, Inc.

Speakers/Disclosures

Online, Pre-recorded Segment Speakers:

Dr. Kay Toomey is a Pediatric Psychologist who has worked with children who don’t eat for almost 35 years. She has developed the SOS Approach to Feeding as a family centered program for assessing and treating children with feeding problems. Dr. Toomey speaks nationally and internationally about her approach. Dr. Toomey helped to form The Children’s Hospital – Denver’s Pediatric Oral Feeding Clinic, as well as the Rose Medical Center’s Pediatric Feeding Center. Dr. Toomey co-chaired the Pediatric Therapy Services Department at Rose Medical Center prior to entering private practice. Dr. Toomey acted as the Clinical Director for Toomey & Associates, Inc.’s Feeding Clinic, and then the SOS Feeding Solutions @ STAR before shifting into clinical consultation in order to focus on her teaching. Dr. Toomey is currently the President of Toomey & Associates, Inc. and an Adjunct Research Fellow at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.

Statement of Financial/Non-Financial Relationships:
Dr. Kay A. Toomey – Financial: President, Toomey & Associates, Inc. and the  Developer of the SOS Approach to Feeding program (paid), Adjunct Research Fellow of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (paid); Non-Financial: Co-Author, “Behaviorally Based Feeding Problems” in Suiter & Gosa (Eds.) Assessing and Treating Dysphagia:  A Lifespan Perspective (2019). New York: Thieme Publishers (unpaid), Founding Medical Professional Council Member with Feeding Matters – PFD Alliance Committee Member and Conference Committee Member (unpaid).

Live Stream Speakers:

Dr. Kay Toomey is a Pediatric Psychologist who has worked with children who don’t eat for over 35 years. She has developed the SOS Approach to Feeding as a family centered program for assessing and treating children with feeding problems. Dr. Toomey speaks nationally and internationally about her approach. Dr. Toomey helped to form The Children’s Hospital – Denver’s Pediatric Oral Feeding Clinic, as well as the Rose Medical Center’s Pediatric Feeding Center. Dr. Toomey co-chaired the Pediatric Therapy Services Department at Rose Medical Center prior to entering private practice. Dr. Toomey acted as the Clinical Director for Toomey & Associates, Inc.’s Feeding Clinic, and then the SOS Feeding Solutions @ STAR before shifting into clinical consultation in order to focus on her teaching. Dr. Toomey is currently the President of Toomey & Associates, Inc. and an Adjunct Research Fellow at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.

Susan Kniffen, MS, OTR/L received her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at Shenandoah University (VA). She spent the first two years of her career working with adults in acute care and rehabilitation settings before transferring to working in pediatric settings in 2005. Since 2006, she has been a feeding specialist in addition to working with children who have orthopedic, neurological, and complex medical needs. She is currently an occupational therapist and feeding specialist in the early intervention program for The Resource Exchange. Previously she provided pediatric outpatient feeding and rehabilitation services through Memorial Hospital, Toomey & Associates Inc., and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Educating and empowering parents to be students of their children is her passion.

Deborah Lagerborg, CCC-SLP received her Masters in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. During her graduate studies, she focused on feeding disorders and dysphagia in infants and children. Deborah currently works as a Pediatric Feeding Specialist and Speech Pathologist for Developmental Disabilities Resource Center. Prior to this position, Deborah worked at a Pediatric Feeding Specialist at SOS Feeding Solutions at STAR Institute. Deborah began her career in a pediatric outpatient hospital setting, working primarily with infants and children with feeding disorders. She also spent time working in the NICU as part of a multidisciplinary team, supporting premature infant development and early feeding experiences. Deborah’s passion is to work with the families, empowering parents to support their own child’s development and success.

Statement of Financial/Non-Financial Relationships for Toomey & Associates, Inc. Speakers

Dr. Kay A. Toomey – Financial: President, Toomey & Associates, Inc. and the  Developer of the SOS Approach to Feeding program (paid), Adjunct Research Fellow of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (paid); Non-Financial: Co-Author, “Behaviorally Based Feeding Problems” in Suiter & Gosa (Eds.) Assessing and Treating Dysphagia:  A Lifespan Perspective (2019). New York: Thieme Publishers (unpaid), Founding Medical Professional Council Member with Feeding Matters – PFD Alliance Committee Member and Conference Committee Member (unpaid).

Susan Kniffen – Financial: Speaker for Toomey & Associates, Inc. (paid); Non-Financial: No relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.

Deborah Lagerborg – Financial: Speaker for Toomey & Associates, Inc. (paid); Non-Financial: No relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.

Other Toomey & Associates, Inc. Speakers:

Lindsay Beckerman, MOT, OTR/L received her Master of Occupational Therapy degree from Ohio State University. She currently works at Developmental FX, a non-profit clinic supporting children with a wide variety of developmental needs. Prior to this, she worked as a Pediatric Feeding Specialist at SOS Feeding Solutions @ STAR with Dr. Kay Toomey and Dr. Lucy Jane Miller and currently continues to work with Dr. Toomey as an SOS Professor. Lindsay has also worked as a member of a multidisciplinary team with Autism Spectrum Disorders, SPD, emotional/behavioral disorders and feeding problems in a hospital/residential facility. Lindsay has completed the STAR Institute’s Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Intensive Mentorship Programs and is a certified DIR Floortime Provider. She specializes in feeding difficulties in atypical learners, including children and teens with Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, and multisensory processing difficulties. Lindsay also serves as a board member for Charlotte’s Day, a non-profit group that helps to provide posturally supportive chairs to children in feeding therapy.

Kelly Fitzpatrick, CCC-SLP received her Master of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The University of Memphis. She currently works as a Pediatric Specialist and Speech Pathologist for Rocky Mountain Human Services. She specializes in feeding difficulties in children 0-5 years old and those who are G-tube dependent. Prior to her position with RMHS, Kelly acted as the Assistant Clinical Director of SOS Feeding Solutions at the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder with Dr. Lucy Jane Miller. Kelly began her career in a pediatric outpatient hospital setting using the SOS Approach to Feeding program. Kelly has also completed the STAR Institute’s Intensive Mentorship Program and is a certified DIR Floortime Provider.

Amanda Foster, MS CCC-SLP, received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Massachusetts General Hospital IHP. For over 15 years, Mrs. Foster has worked with children with a variety of diagnoses in school, clinic, hospital, and early intervention settings. She began her feeding career in 2005 at Toomey & Associates, Inc. and then moved to the SOS Feeding Solutions @ STAR with Dr. Kay Toomey and Dr. Lucy Jane Miller. In 2010, Mrs. Foster started a private practice specializing in providing feeding support for families in their homes and in community settings. Currently, she is the Lead Speech and Feeding Therapist at a multi-disciplinary pediatric clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to presenting The SOS Approach to Feeding with Toomey & Associates, Inc., Mrs. Foster has lectured on swallowing disorders at Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado. She also regularly presents on speech and feeding disorders at parent, teacher, and professional seminars.

Dr. Erin Sundseth Ross is a Speech Pathologist with a Doctoral degree in Clinical Sciences – Health Services Research. She completed a two-year post-doctoral training in the Section of Nutrition and is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, at the University of Colorado Denver. She is also on faculty at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. Dr. Ross has over 30+ years of experience working in the NICU within several HealthONE hospitals, and with children when she was at the SOS Feeding Solutions clinic in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Ross is the creator of the SOFFI MethodTM, a feeding program for use in the NICU. She has specialized in the development of feeding skills, and the etiology and treatment of feeding and growth problems in infants and very young children from initial hospitalization through the first 5 years of life.

Statement of Financial/Non-Financial Relationships for Toomey & Associates, Inc. Speakers

Lindsay Beckerman – Financial: Speaker for Toomey & Associates, Inc. (paid); Non-Financial: Board Member for Charlotte’s Day (unpaid).

Kelly Fitzpatrick – Financial: Speaker for Toomey & Associates, Inc. (paid); Non-Financial: No relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.

Amanda Foster – Financial: Speaker for Toomey & Associates, Inc. (paid); Non-Financial: No relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.

Dr. Erin S. Ross – Financial: President, Feeding FUNdamentals, LLC. (paid), Consultant for Nestec/Gerber Baby Foods (paid), Gerber Child Advocate/Developmental Panel member (paid), Consultant for Intertek (paid), Speaker for Toomey & Associates, Inc. & Feeding Fundamentals, LLC (paid); Non-Financial: Co-Author, “Behaviorally Based Feeding Problems” in Suiter & Gosa (Eds.) Assessing and Treating Dysphagia:  A Lifespan Perspective (2019). New York: Thieme Publishers (unpaid), PFD Alliance Leadership with Feeding Matters – PFD Alliance Advocacy Chair (unpaid), Consensus Committee of the Standards, Competencies, and Best Practices for Infant and Family-Centered Developmental Care in the Intensive Care Unit.

Attendance & Policies

Please note: Due to the requirements for the participation of this online, live training conference, potential registrants located in an area more than 6 hours ahead or 2 hours prior to Central Time, are not eligible to participate in this specific conference.  Please check the SOS Training Schedule for alternative dates/locations for SOS Approach to Feeding training.

• Conference Expectations & Instructions for Continuing Education and SOS Certificate of Attendance
• Video/Audio/Photography Notification/Disclaimer
• Complaint Policy & Procedures

Conference Expectations & Instructions for Continuing Education and SOS Certificate of Attendance
These Guidelines and Instructions have been created to ensure that Conference participants meet all the learning outcomes necessary to begin correctly using and safely practicing the SOS Approach to Feeding program.

Technical and Log-on Requirements

• A computer is the preferred device for participating in this on-line Conference. Taking the conference on a phone is not permitted. A tablet might be allowable if the other requirements below can be met with that tablet.

• You MUST be able to hard-wire your computer directly into the Internet connection via and Ethernet cord. WiFi connections to the internet are not sufficient and will not provide you with enough clarity to view videos and Speaker demonstrations. In addition, WiFi connections cause many technical problems resulting in too much time lost from the conference.

• A working Webcam on your computer is required (most laptops have the camera embedded).
• Headphones/Earbuds to listen to the conference from your device are suggested to provide you with the clearest signal and the least amount of background noise and static interference.
• On Day 1, all Conference Participants will be required to sign onto Zoom by 7:30 am CDT.
  • During this time, important Announcements will be reviewed regarding the administration of the Conference and how to meet your attendance requirements. In addition, this time will allow you to resolve any technical issues you may be having PRIOR to the start of the Conference so that you are ready when the conference begins.
• On ALL other conference days, please log in to the Zoom platform at least 10 minutes prior to the start of each day.
  • This will help to ensure that the SOS Approach to Feeding online conference remains on schedule and to allow our staff to resolve any technical issues you may encounter while keeping the conference on schedule.

Conference Guidelines and Expectations
In order to comply with Professional Continuing Education Credit and SOS Approach to Feeding attendance requirements, the following methods will be used to verify that participants are learning the materials and actively participating throughout the entire the SOS Approach to Feeding Online Conference.

• Conference participants are required to sign into Zoom each day.
  • The login process will mirror the typical sign-in/sign-out requirements which are set forth by Professional Associations (ASHA, AOTA, CDR, etc.) and used in the SOS Approach to Feeding’s in-person conferences.
  • This information will be tracked and provided to each appropriate Professional Association to meet continuing education credit standards.
  • If the participant has not signed in, an SOS Course Administrator will contact the participant to identify and problem solve any potential technical issues interfering with login.
    • If you are encountering any technical issues, we have support staff available to assist you. Please contact us at [email protected] or by texting or calling (720) 672-1143, and we will reply as soon as possible.
  • If the participant has not logged in and the issue is determined to be something other than a technical issue, an SOS Course Administrator will work with the participant to determine a plan for resolving the issue.
  • Participants are REQUIRED to arrive on-time for each day of the Conference and to attend the Conference in it’s entirety.

• Conference participants will be expected to answer 7-10 Test Questions twice each day to demonstrate understanding of materials presented.
  • Schedule of test questions – Beginning of Lunch (12:00 PM-12:15 PM) and End of the Day (5:00 PM-5:15 PM).
  • Tests will be administered via the Conference Dashboard (link to be provided). Participants are expected to submit their answers prior to taking their scheduled break or leaving for the end of the day. Answers will be reviewed and scored by SOS Approach to Feeding Course Administrators.
  • Participants who do not answer the questions for each section will be contacted by an SOS Approach to Feeding Course Administrator to problem solve any difficulties on the participant’s part in answering the questions.
  • To receive a Certificate of Completion (via email), participants must answer 80% of the Test Questions correctly. If a participant does not pass, they will be contacted by an SOS Approach to Feeding Course Administrator to identify next steps.

• Participants will be expected to engage in Teaching Exercises as demonstrated and taught in the conference.
  • The Postural Stability Exercise will require you sit in a typical office/kitchen chair.
  • The Breathing Exercise will require you observe one of the SOS Professors, as well as engage in a short, shallow breathing exercise yourself.
  • The Developmental Food Continuum/Oral-Motor Exercises will require you to follow an SOS Professor in practicing with and eating various foods. THE FOOD REQUIREMENT LIST WILL BE SENT TO YOU IN A SEPARATE CONFERENCE EMAIL.
  • The Food Hierarchy Exercise will require that you create and submit a Food Hierarchy to the SOS Professors
  • The Steps to Eating Hierarchy Exercises will require you to play with food.

• Course participants will be expected to submit Comments via the Zoom Chat Box in response to questions asked of them by the Speaker at least twice and up to four times daily. These Comments will include your reactions to the Teaching Exercises.
  • If participants do not submit a comment when prompted, an SOS Approach to Feeding Course Administrator will contact the participant to problem solve any difficulties on the participant’s part in providing their comments.

• Participants will be required to have their computer camera on throughout the online conference to help verify attendance and participation in the Teaching Exercises.
  • We certainly understand that you may need to step away from the conference for a moment. However, please be aware that you will be missing important course materials if you are away from your computer and the Conference for more than a few minutes at a time. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to wait until the scheduled breaks if possible.

• Participants must provide a contact number and preferred email address to the SOS Course Administrators in case a Course Administrator needs to contact you.

Please note, due to the extra time required for the participant comments and on-line format during this course, the SOS Approach to Feeding Online Conference is extended to a full 4 days – Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday – 8:00 am–5:00 pm.

This Conference has a 100% attendance requirement. During the in-person segment of the Conference, Participants are expected to attend the course and participate fully for the entire length of each day (7:30 AM to 5:00 PM on Day 1 and 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Days 2-4) in order to receive their Certificate of Completion, any continuing education credits, and/or to be allowed to use the SOS Approach to Feeding program. Participants will miss crucial information needed to be able to correctly use the SOS Approach to Feeding program if they come late or leave the course early.

Participants who arrive late or leave early on any day MUST make up any missed time. If the Participant does not make up the time, they will not receive a Certificate of Completion, and they will not be authorized to use the SOS Approach to Feeding Program. During the conference, the Participant must immediately make arrangements with Dr. Toomey to make up any missed time.

Conference Tests and Evaluation Form Requirements
All Participants are required to take two multiple choice tests, with at least an 80% accuracy, each day of the conference to verify their understanding of the Conference materials. Upon full completion of the SOS Approach to Feeding Conference, participants must also complete a course evaluation form in order to receive their certificate of attendance.

Agenda-2024 4.75-Day Hybrid SOS Training Conference-Virtual-Live Stream Segment

Hybrid Virtual SOS Conferences – 2025 Participant Learning, CE Guidelines and Requirements – Central Time

Video/Audio/Photography Notification/Disclaimer
When you participate an SOS Approach to Feeding Conference (Live or Virtual), you will be participating in an event where photography, video and audio recording may occur. By participating in the SOS Approach to Feeding event, you consent to video recording, audio recording and/or photography and its/their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, web casts, promotional purposes, telecasts, advertising, inclusion on web sites, or for any other purpose(s) that SOS Approach to Feeding (Toomey & Associates), its vendors, partners, affiliates and/or representatives deems fit to use. You release SOS Approach to Feeding owners, staff and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication of interviews, photographs, computer images, video and/or or sound recordings. View full video/audio/photography disclaimer.

Complaint Policy & Procedures
Toomey & Associates, Inc. views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve future programs and resources, as well as a chance to put things right for the person or organization that has made the complaint. Please read the full Complaint Policy and Resolution Procedures.

Continuing Education

This course will focus on the treatment SOS Approach to Feeding and will not discuss other similar or related treatments. Not available for partial credit.

** Note: Each participant must view the entire Online Segment video and pass a test with a minimum score of 80% by 7 days prior to the first day of the Live Stream Segment of the Hybrid SOS Approach to Feeding Conference. Each participant is also required to take two daily multiple-choice tests, with at least an 80% accuracy, during the Live Stream Segment of the conference. These tests are to verify participants’ understanding of the conference materials. Upon full completion of both segments of the Hybrid SOS Approach to Feeding Conference, participants must also complete a course evaluation form in order to receive their certificate of attendance.

Toomey & Associates, Inc. is an AOTA Course Approved Provider of Continuing Education. Course Approval ID: 0000006744. This blend hybrid activity is offered at 3.55 CEUs. Intermediate level, OT Service Delivery and Foundational Knowledge. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of a specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA or indicate AOTA approval of a certification or other professional recognition.

** Note: Each participant must view the entire Online Segment video and pass a test with a minimum score of 80% by 7 days prior to the first day of the Live Stream Segment of the Hybrid SOS Approach to Feeding Conference. Each participant is also required to take two daily multiple-choice tests, with at least an 80% accuracy, during the Live Stream Segment of the conference. These tests are to verify participants’ understanding of the conference materials. Upon full completion of both segments of the Hybrid SOS Approach to Feeding Conference, participants must also complete a course evaluation form in order to receive their certificate of attendance.

Other Associations

Please contact your association to inquire as to whether this course will meet the requirements for continuing education credits. Upon request, we are happy to provide any additional information for submission to your association.

** Note: Each participant must view the entire Online Segment video and pass a test with a minimum score of 80% by 7 days prior to the first day of the Live Stream Segment of the Hybrid SOS Approach to Feeding Conference. Each participant is also required to take two daily multiple-choice tests, with at least an 80% accuracy, during the Live Stream Segment of the conference. These tests are to verify participants’ understanding of the conference materials. Upon full completion of both segments of the Hybrid SOS Approach to Feeding Conference, participants must also complete a course evaluation form in order to receive their certificate of attendance.

ADA Requests

Toomey & Associates, Inc. complies with ADA provisions. If you require special accommodations or need assistance, please contact Toomey & Associates at least two weeks in advance of the conference at [email protected] or (720) 672-1143.