From Diagnosis to Discharge
Clinical Foundations for Supporting NICU Graduates in Outpatient Settings
In this 8-hour, self-paced course, you’ll learn how NICU diagnoses and care models shape infant feeding and developmental outcomes after discharge in outpatient and community-based settings.
Feeding challenges don’t end at NICU discharge
Infants with NICU histories often present with feeding difficulties shaped by early diagnoses, hospital-based care models, and prolonged medical intervention. This course helps outpatient and community-based clinicians understand how NICU experiences influence feeding behaviors, oral motor patterns, and developmental trajectories—so care after discharge is informed, intentional, and effective.
Ready to get started?
NICU Follow-up Learning Objectives:
- Recognize differences between the intrauterine and NICU environments and their influence on early sensory and neurodevelopment.
- Identify common NICU diagnoses, including neurological, respiratory, cardiac, gastrointestinal conditions, and prematurity, and their implications for therapy intervention.
- Identify how hospital-based variations in NICU care influence feeding practices and developmental support in community-based and outpatient settings.
- Identify the role of neonatal therapists in supporting feeding and development across levels of NICU care and during transition to community-based services.
- List key developmental considerations for preterm infants from NICU admission through discharge.
- Identify evaluation methods and treatment strategies used to support feeding and development following NICU discharge in outpatient practice.
HERE'S WHAT'S INSIDE
RECORDED VIDEO Lessons
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Let's Look Inside the Course
Some sections of this course cover diagnoses, care models, or clinical considerations that may feel content-dense, which is why the course is fully self-paced. You’ll have 6 months of access to revisit specific modules as needed and integrate the material into your outpatient practice over time.
Module One
Course Information
- Disclosures
- Orientation to Learning Platform
Module two (1 hour 9 minutes)
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Foundations
- Understanding NICU admissions, levels of care, and outcomes for preterm and term infants
- The role of neonatal therapy in neuroprotection, feeding, development, and family-centered care
- How NICU sensory exposure (touch, sound, light, movement) differs from the womb
- The impact of environmental stress on brain development and regulation
Module three (4 hours 53 minutes)
Medical Complexity and Feeding in the NICU Graduate
- Respiratory & cardiac considerations: How oxygenation, endurance, and medical support shape feeding and development
- Neurological & prematurity considerations: Brain immaturity, regulation, and neurodevelopmental risk factors impacting feeding and function
- Gastrointestinal considerations: GI diagnoses, surgical history, and their impact on feeding tolerance and progression
- Feeding practices in the NICU: Cue-based vs volume-driven feeding and implications after discharge
- The NICU journey: Cumulative medical, sensory, and relational experiences shaping infant and family outcomes
Module four (2 hours 12 minutes)
Treating the NICU Graduate
- Evaluation and treatment considerations for feeding, development, and regulation after discharge
- Case-based strategies to support infants and families during the transition home
Module five
Course conclusion
- Wrap Up
- Post-Test Assessment
- Feedback Survey
Supporting NICU graduates requires more than treating symptoms—it requires understanding their start.
This course bridges the gap between NICU care and outpatient practice by examining how diagnoses, feeding models, and hospital environments shape infant feeding and development long after discharge.
Course Instructor
Jacklynn Knotts OTR/L, CNT, IBCLC, NTMTC
Jacklynn Knotts is an Occupational Therapist (OT), Certified Neonatal Therapist (CNT), and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
Her journey into infant care began in 2013 during a fieldwork rotation in a level IV NICU as an OT student—an experience that ignited her passion for neonatal therapy and infant feeding.
After earning her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy, Jacklynn began her career in Early Childhood Intervention (ECI), where she witnessed the gaps in care families faced transitioning from NICU to home. When her firstborn required a NICU stay, those professional observations became deeply personal. This experience drove her to return to the NICU setting, and in 2016, she joined the same unit where her own child had been treated.
As a Neonatal Therapist, Jacklynn has championed cue-based feeding and neuroprotective developmental care within hospital systems through policy development, therapy program design, and participation in NICU designation processes. Her clinical experience spans the NICU, high-risk follow-up clinics, ECI, and outpatient therapy—giving her comprehensive insight into the infant and family journey from hospitalization through the transition home.
As a mother of four, including two NICU graduates, Jacklynn understands firsthand the physical, emotional, and mental challenges of navigating NICU stays, feeding difficulties, and the complexities of early motherhood. These experiences—both the joys and the struggles—inspired her to open Nurture Development & Lactation, a private practice dedicated to providing evidence-based care that blends therapeutic expertise with advanced lactation support.
Jacklynn believes the best clinicians never stop learning. She's passionate about learning from others and sharing her knowledge through mentorship with fellow healthcare professionals.
Instructor Disclosures
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this course intended for?
- Occupational Therapy Practitioners (OT & COTA)
- Speech Language Pathologist (SLP & SLP-A)
- Physical Therapy Practitioners (PT & PTA)
- Registered Nurses (RN)
- Lactation Consultants (IBCLC)
- and other professionals working with this population
Are there prerequisites for this course?
There are no required prerequisites.
Can I count this course towards my 90 hours of lactation-specific education?
Yes! Please review the IBCLC Commission page for further details on lactation-specific education hours. To receive credit for completion, the course must be completed with 100% watch time and each participant will need to complete a post-assessment with a passing score of at least 80% to ensure all learning objectives are met.
Information about AOTA CEUs
This course is pending approval for 0.8 AOTA CEUs for occupational therapy professionals. Participants will be required to:
- Complete the course in its entirety (100% of the course watched)
- Complete a multiple-choice post-assessment with a passing score of at least 80% (untimed test)
Information about ASHA CEUs
This course is approved for 0.8 ASHA CEUs for speech-language pathologists. ASHA CEUs will be available starting February 23, 2026. To receive ASHA CEUs, participants will be required to:
- Ensure you are eligible to receive ASHA CEUs! Click here for more information
- Complete the course in its entirety (watch time is tracked by the learning management system)
- Complete the multiple-choice post-assessment with a passing score of at least 80% (untimed test, 3 retakes)
- There is no option for partial credit
Information for Physical Therapists
APTA does not approve individual companies and you will need to check with your individual state for online course requirements. To best prepare you can save the following:
- The certificate of completion that will be provided
- List of references
- A copy of the assessment questions
How long will I have access to the course?
6 months from the purchase date.
What is your refund/cancellation policy?
Refunds must be requested within 14 days of purchase by emailing [email protected]. A full refund is available if no modules have been started. A partial refund is available once ANY portion of the course has been viewed. The amount refunded is at the sole discretion of The Lactation OT LLC. There is no refund available after 14 days of purchase OR if module one has been completed. Recipients will receive acknowledgment of refund requests within 3 business days. If the request is valid per the terms listed above, the refund will be processed within 7 business days. If for any reason the course is canceled by The Lactation OT before the course is started, a full refund will be provided.
How do I request special accommodation?
Please send us an email at [email protected] at least 14 days before starting the course with further details of your request.
AOTA CEU Temp Block
Supporting Feeding After the NICU
As you expand your knowledge and build confidence in pelvic-informed lactation support, you’ll elevate your clinical practice—and better support parents in their healing and feeding journeys.
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