In this episode of the "Swallow Your Pride" podcast, bilingual SLP Margaryta Kuzman shares her expertise on pediatric feeding disorders in early intervention. She discusses the vital role of SLPs, the importance of early identification, and practical steps—ensuring safety, functional feeding observation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Margaryta emphasizes family-centered care, the need for more specialized training, and offers resources for clinicians. She also introduces her platform, Kuzmin SLP, dedicated to empowering providers with evidence-based tools. The conversation highlights the challenges families face and the importance of empathy and teamwork in supporting children with feeding difficulties.
Margaryta Kuzmin, MA, CCC-SLP, TSSLD-BE, BCS-S is a bilingual speech-language pathologist based in New York City with over 15 years of experience working with infants, toddlers, and school-age children with complex communication, feeding, and developmental needs. She specializes in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, AAC, and working with medically complex populations. Margaryta is the founder of KuzminSLP, a professional education platform dedicated to empowering Early Intervention providers (SLPs, OTs, SI, PTs) with practical, evidence-based tools for real-world practice. Her work bridges feeding, language, literacy, and behavior, with a strong emphasis on functional outcomes for children ages birth to three. She is an award-winning clinician, published author, and frequent national and international speaker, and has received multiple awards throughout her career for her contributions to the field.