Intended Audience
The SOS Training Course is intended for professionals with advanced-level degrees and/or certificate level advanced training, including: Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Registered Dietitians, Special Education Teachers, Psychologists, Physical Therapists, Early Intervention Specialists, Nurses, Physicians, and Mental Health Workers. Note: Training Courses are created for professionals. If parents wish to attend the training workshop, they must be accompanied by their child’s feeding therapist.
Course Level
The SOS Approach to Feeding Training Course is an Intermediate level course: Information is geared to practitioners with a general working knowledge of current practice trends and literature related to the subject matter. Focus is on increasing understanding and competent application of the subject matter.
Content Disclosure
The course content is focused on the SOS Approach to Feeding and there will be limited, or no information provided about similar products or services.
Learning Objectives
1. Examine the seven areas of human function that need to be evaluated to provide a comprehensive Feeding Assessment.
2. Investigate at least five of the key oral, sensory, motor, cognitive and psychosocial milestones which need to be achieved in order to be able to eat well.
3. Evaluate 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. Distinguish 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. Apply all requirements in building a Food Hierarchy.
7. Demonstrate at least one play-based strategy for progressing a child up each of the 6 major Steps on the Steps to Eating Hierarchy.
Agenda
Fees
- Early bird Registration – R16500. Register during November 2026 – 31 January 2027.
- Standard Registration – R18000. During the period from 1 February 2027 – 31 May 2027.
Cancellation of Registration by Registrant – Policy
Cancellations must be received in writing to info@thenourishnest.co.za no later than 31 May 2027 to receive a refund minus a 10% administration fee. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received after 1 June 2027.
Please be aware that once you receive and view the prerequisite 9-hour, pre-recorded Online Segment for the course you are currently registered to attend, you will no longer have the option to cancel your attendance at the In-Person Segment of the SOS Training Course. If you receive and view the Online Segment and then decide you cannot attend the In-Person Segment of the SOS Training Course for which you have registered, you MUST notify us immediately to discuss next steps.
Substitution Policy
Registrations may be substituted for another attendee from the same organization up until the 2-week mark prior to the first day of the In-Person Segment of the course. Substitutions must be submitted in writing by 31 May 2027 to info@thenourishnest.co.za, otherwise the substitution cannot be honored.
Cancellation of the Event by Toomey & Associates
Please be aware that Toomey & Associates will present this course despite one or even two Speakers being ill. If all three Speakers are ill, substitute Speaker will be sent. If all 3 Speakers are ill and no substitute Speakers are available, this would then constitute a Speaker cancellation.
If the course is cancelled by Toomey & Associates due to, but not limited to, the following:
• Speaker cancellation
• Limited enrollment
• Severe weather (snowstorm, flooding, etc.)
• Course site issues (power outages, emergency situations)
Registrants will receive a full refund of their registration fee within 30 days of the originally scheduled course 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
Speakers
Dr Kay Toomey
Online, Pre-recorded Segment and In-Person Speaker
Dr. Kay A. 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.
Lindsay Beckerman, OTR
Online, Pre-Recorded Segment Speaker
Lindsay Beckerman, 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 worked as a member of several multidisciplinary teams specializing in supporting individuals with Autism, Sensory Integration and Processing differences, emotional/behavioral disorders, and feeding problems. She has completed an Intensive Mentorship Program in Sensory Integration and Processing and has completed the Polyvagal Certificate Course. Lindsay is also a certified DIR Floortime Provider. Lindsay’s passion is supporting children, teens, adults, and their families experience greater felt safety during meals through the use of individualized intervention strategies and changing the food to make it work better.
Dr Erin Sundseth Ross
In-Person Speaker
Erin Sundseth Ross, PhD, CCC-SLP received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in 2007, followed by a 2-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Section of Nutrition at the University of Colorado Denver. Her master’s degree is in Speech and Language Pathology, from California State University Stanislaus, which she received in 1988. Dr. Ross is currently an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Colorado and is on faculty at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. She has authored several book chapters and publications related to feeding preterm infants and infants with medical comorbidities. Dr. Ross provides clinical consultation to several Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICU) within the HealthONE system in Denver, in addition to providing professional education and research consultation through Feeding FUNdamentals, LLC. She created SOFFI®, a training program for caregivers in the NICU and therapists and other professionals working with babies who are having problems breast or bottle feeding at home. She brings 30+ years of experience working with premature infants and infants with medical problems.
Statement of Financial/Non-Financial Relationships for Toomey & Associates Speakers
Dr. Kay A. Toomey
- President, Toomey & Associates, Inc. and the Developer of the SOS Approach to Feeding program (paid)
- Speaker and Product Developer for PESI (paid)
- 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)
Dr. Erin S. Ross
- President and CEO of Feeding FUNdamentals, LLC (paid)
- Faculty at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (paid)
- Developmental Specialist for HealthONE Hospital Systems (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)
- Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (unpaid)
- 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 Member – Feeding Matters (unpaid)
- Consensus Committee of the Standards, Competencies, and Best Practices for Infant and Family-Centered Developmental Care in the Intensive Care Unit (unpaid)
Accommodations
Southern Sun Rosebank
Attendance & Policies
This 5-Day Hybrid SOS Training Course has a 100% Attendance requirement. Registrants are expected to complete the prerequisite 9-hour, pre-recorded Online Segment of the Course at least one week prior to attending the In-Person Segment of the Course.
In-Person Segment
During the In-Person Segment of the Course, Participants are expected to attend the course and participate fully for the entire length of each day 08:00am – 17:00pm 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 course, the Participant must immediately make arrangements with Dr. Toomey to stay late each day of the course until all of the missed time has been made up.
Participants MUST make their travel arrangements on the last day of the course so that they will not be leaving the course for any reason before 17:00pm. NO EXCEPTIONS for flight or train schedules will be made.
Online, Independent Study Segment
Registrants will receive an email from SOS/Toomey & Associates with instructions for accessing and completing the prerequisite, 9-hour pre-recorded Online Segment of the Hybrid SOS Training Course approximately two months prior to Day 1 of the In-Person Segment of the course.
Registrants will have until one week before Day 1 of the In-Person Segment of the course to complete the prerequisite, 9-hour pre-recorded Oline Segment of the course.
Any participant who does not watch the full duration of the prerequisite, 9-hour pre-recorded Online Segment (verified by a third-party system) and/or does not pass all of the tests by at least one week prior to Day 1 of the In-Person Segment of the Hybrid Training Course, will be contacted by The Nourish Nest Administrators. They will work with the Registrant to ensure the requirements for this segment of the course have been met in order for the Registrant to be allowed to attend the In-Person Segment of the course.
Course Test and Evaluation Form Requirements
All Participants are required to take a short multiple-choice test at the end of 5 out of the 6 Chapters of the prerequisite, 9-hour pre-recorded Online Segment. Each test must be passed with a minimum score of 80%. Participants are allowed to take each test more than once if necessary.
Upon full completion of the SOS Approach to Feeding Training Course, participants must also complete a course evaluation form in order to receive their Certificate of Completion.
Students-in-Training – Additional Attendance Requirements and Actions
Only students in their last year of graduate school are permitted to attend an SOS Approach to Feeding Training Course. That student must attend the Training Course with the University/College Professor who is providing them supervision. If the student’s University/College Professor is already SOS trained, that Professor will need to submit a letter/email verifying when they received their SOS training and that they are agreeing to supervise this student until the student graduates from the graduate program.
Complaint Policy & Procedures
Toomey & Associates 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.
