The California Department of Developmental Services (“DDS”) aims to provide comprehensive care to program participants. Among the many forms of care and support the agency provides, there are a range of supports specifically related to nutrition and feeding challenges. Getting support on these important activities of daily living can be incredibly important, especially for developmentally disabled individuals who struggle with nutrition and healthy eating.

How DDS Addresses Nutrition and Feeding Challenges

As with most services, the DDS administers resources related to nutrition and feeding through its regional care centers. If you or your loved one would like to explore these resources, be sure to bring it up with your care coordinator. Be sure to include this as a component in your Individual Program Plan (“IPP”).

Here’s an outline of the nutrition and feeding services DDS can give you access to:

• Infants and toddlers between the ages of 0-3 who are in the Early Start Program can access behavioral and physical therapies focused on developing motor skills for self-feeding.
• Children who are no longer in the Early Start Program and who receive services through the public school system can access ongoing care around self-feeding and nutrition through their transitional and ongoing DDS supports.
• Older children and adults can access nutritionists and dietitians through their regional care center. As mentioned above, make sure to include this in your IPP. From there, your regional care center can pair you with the professionals you need.
• In general, regional care centers have connections to speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and other therapists who can help individuals of all ages improve motor skills for self-feeding.
• Similarly, regional centers can match individuals of all ages with nutritionists to ensure that all DDs participants are eating healthy diets.

Other Supports in California

Finally, your DDS regional center can give you information and refer you to other programs and organizations throughout the state. Many of these can provide targeted assistance related to nutrition and feeding. These include:

• California Department of Aging
• California Department of Social Services
• CalFresh
• Women Infant and Children Program
• community-based food banks

Each of these organizations have a wide variety of services to ensure Californians have healthy and nutritious diets.