What Is Prefeeding Pathways™?

Prefeeding Pathways™ is an evidence-informed clinical framework developed by Rachel Selman, M.S., OTR/L, CNT, and collaboratively created with a multidisciplinary team of SLPs and PTs to guide professionals in supporting an infant’s readiness for oral feeding through intentional, developmentally aligned care. Built on sensory, motor, behavioral, and cue-based caregiving, the framework helps clinicians recognize where each infant is in their prefeeding journey and create a continuum of care that will support infant progression toward feeding readiness.

Prefeeding Pathways™ is designed as a multidisciplinary framework that adapts to the individuality of your care team. We recognize that therapists, nurses, and other clinicians bring unique strengths to infant care, and that roles and responsibilities naturally vary across different settings.

This framework is centered on what the infant needs, not on prescribing discipline-specific tasks. This flexibility allows each organization to determine who is best suited to lead various aspects of prefeeding habilitation, who may play a supporting role, and how the infant’s needs will be met most effectively.

By individualizing how the framework is applied, Prefeeding Pathways™ can grow and evolve within your unit—shaped by available resources, staffing models, and the unique competencies of your team members.

How It Supports Professional Growth

By translating complex research into clear, practical steps, Prefeeding Pathways™ gives clinicians a structured roadmap for treatment planning, clinical reasoning, and interdisciplinary communication. Professionals gain a deeper understanding of infant behavior, improve their ability to create positive sensory–motor experiences, and build confidence in guiding fragile infants toward safe, meaningful feeding readiness. The framework strengthens practice across OT, PT, SLP, nursing, and neonatology—enhancing both clinical skill and team alignment.