Failure to Thrive, Suboptimal Weight Gain, and the Lactation Savvy Therapist
In this 4.5-hour, self-paced continuing education course, you will learn the various etiologies of failure to thrive and walk through multiple, in-depth, case studies to solidify critical thinking.

Infant-specific CE for OT, SLP, and PTs
Providing Lactation Resources and CEUs for Healthcare Professionals


IBLCE Long-Term Provider
4.5 L-CERPs
OT, SLP, PT, or IBCLC — there’s no doubt you’ll work with infants with suboptimal weight gain.
Manage your next case with confidence! This CE course covers key principles that professionals must understand when evaluating infants with suboptimal weight gain.
You’ll learn normal feeding patterns (from birth to 6 months) in breast and bottle-fed infants, typical volume of intake and outputs, etiology of failure to thrive/poor weight gain, analyzing growth charts, and impacts of poor weight gain on the infant and the family dynamic.
No more pulling bits and pieces from general pediatric continuing education — this is infant-specific to support your niche practice area.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Identify optimal vs. suboptimal/abnormal growth patterns for infants
- Recognize the characteristics of a baby who is not gaining weight in an optimal manner
- Identify potential causes of failure to thrive or suboptimal weight gain
- Recognize the impact on the family and/or maternal mental health when weight gain is of concern
- Identify strategies for supplementation to increase intake for the infant with suboptimal weight gain
- Recognize the therapist’s role in managing suboptimal weight gain or Failure To Thrive
- Identify actions that a therapist might take in challenging/difficult situations when treating a baby with suboptimal weight gain patterns
Timed Agenda
Below you’ll find exactly what’s covered in this online continuing education course. This course allows you to review the material as much as you’d like for 6 months so you can continue to apply your knowledge to your caseload each time an infant demonstrates suboptimal weight gain.
Course Information
- Disclaimers & Disclosures
Module 2
2 hours 2 minutes
- Definitions and criteria for failure to thrive, typical patterns of weight gain, intake, feeding 25 min
- Typical Output & Growth Charts (CDC vs WHO) 37 min
- Suboptimal Weight Gain Etiology & Therapist's Role 11 min
- Reviewing Medical and Feeding History 5 min
- Treatment/Interventions to Improve Weight Gain 29 min
- Managing Emergent Situations 15 min
Case Studies
1 hour 3 minutes
- Case Study A 19 min
- Case Study B 19 min
- Case Study C 25 min
Module 4
27 minutes
- Mini Case Study: Low Milk Supply 4 min
- Red Flags: GI & Cow's Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA) 7 min
- Case Study D 16 min
Module 5
1 hour 24 minutes
- Mini Case Study: Complex Presentation 7 min
- Case Study E 28 min
- Red Flags: Cardiac & Respiratory 6 min
- Case Study F 31 min
- Mini Case Study: Enlarged Adenoids and Tongue Tie 6 min
- Mini Case Study: Neurological 6 min
CE Course Wrap-Up
- Post-assessment
- Feedback survey
An amazing clinical reasoning chart to demystify suboptimal weight gain in infants

AOTA Approved Provider, ASHA CE Approved Provider, IBLCE Long-Term Provider
ENROLL NOWInstructor
Jeanne Pichoff, LOTR, IBCLC

Jeanne has been a pediatric occupational therapist since 2004. She has worked in a variety of pediatric settings including the NICU, outpatient clinic, and the state early intervention system. Jeanne owns and operates a private practice in Louisiana, Flourish Pediatric Therapy and Lactation LLC, which is focused on the niche areas of infant feeding, lactation support, and early intervention services.
Jeanne has pursued the additional credentials of Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) and Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT). She sat for the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) exam in September 2020. She continually strives to offer the highest quality service to families in her care.
In addition to her clinical work, Jeanne serves her community as a board member of the Acadiana Breastfeeding Coalition, where she promotes breastfeeding advocacy in her region.
Disclosures
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes this different from other CEU courses?
This isn’t a pediatric continuing education course covering a wide range of ages and topics. You’ll get in-depth, infant-specific information that you can apply to your caseload right away.
This course dives into the therapy process from evaluation to development of a plan of care for a baby with suboptimal weight gain, with highly varied case examples to illustrate how the plan of care might change or be different based on different variables, such as the etiology of the poor weight gain or the unique dynamic of the dyad/family.
Who is this CE course intended for?
- Occupational Therapist & Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Physical Therapists & Physical Therapy Assistants
- RNs
- IBCLCs
Are there prerequisites for this course?
There are no required prerequisites.
Can I count this course towards my 90 hours of lactation-specific education?
Absolutely! This course is approved for 4.5 L-CERPs. To earn L-CERPs and receive credit for completing 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 approved for 0.45 AOTA CEUs for occupational therapists and assistants. 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, 3 retakes)
Information about ASHA CEUs
This course is approved for 0.45 ASHA CEUs for speech-language pathologists. 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
CE Information for Physical Therapists
APTA does not approve individual providers. Please check with your specific state about PT online continuing education 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. This provides plenty of time for you to learn the information and apply it to different infants who end up on your caseload.
We know your understanding and ability to support infants with suboptimal weight gain will improve as you work with infants. We want you to be able to review the information and refine your skill set with a variety of infants while you have course access.
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.
Working with infants experiencing failure to thrive or suboptimal weight gain can be scary. It’s a specialty area and many factors play into these infant’s growth struggles. This course gives foundational skills for supporting infants and their families dealing with failure to thrive.
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Medically Fragile Infant (14 hours)
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Breastfeeding Assessment and Intervention for the Medically Fragile Infant: Reframing the Clinical Approach
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Failure to Thrive, Suboptimal Weight Gain, and the Lactation Savvy Therapist
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Tube to Breast: Navigating the Transition from Enteral Feeding to Breastfeeding
The Lactation OT is proud to provide lactation-specific continuing education and resources to OT, SLP, PTs, IBCLCs, and healthcare professionals. We’re here to support you as you provide the most effective, evidence-based care possible to infants on your caseload.
Thanks for joining us. Together we can continue to raise the level of care in lactation and infant feeding.
Looking for more information? Have a comment or complaint Send an email to [email protected]. View the complaint policy here.