Laura Austin

I am a pediatric psychologist who has supported children and families since 1993. My clinical training included work with child and adolescent mental health at Cook Children's Medical Center in Ft. Worth as well as care of children with a variety of medical conditions at the University of Miami School of Medicine. In 2003 I found my passion- supporting kids and families with complex feeding problems. I spent 20 years collaborating with speech and occupational therapists, dietitians, and physicians at Our Children’s House/Children’s Health of Dallas in an inpatient pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) program before starting a private practice in 2023. I am also certified in PC-CARE, a unique parenting program that offers hands-on coaching to any parent looking for guidance on how to more effectively connect with their child and manage overall challenging behaviors at home.

I help families address the full spectrum of feeding challenges—from picky eating to PFD and Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). I support the whole child and family, integrating medical, nutritional, skill, and psychosocial factors to make mealtimes calmer and more successful. I am passionate about collaborating with other providers including speech/occupational therapists and pediatric dietitians. However, my true love is supporting parents. I place parents at the center of all of my work and allow them to guide our path. My goal is to understand what is most important to YOU, and then to help you navigate the incredibly complex world of pediatric feeding challenges to help you reach your goals. I also love supporting parents with PC-CARE. This program is great for kids with behavior challenges, but it is also perfect for any parent who wants to learn extra skills-- because parenting any child is hard!!!

My first session is focused on beginning to know you and your child. I also want to provide as much information as I can for you to determine if I am good fit for your family. Trusting the medical community is hard. I believe that trust is earned, and I work hard to connect with families as we navigate the complicated worlds of pediatric feeding and/or parenting. I also start educating families from the beginning. Expect lots of handouts/websites and other recommendations for other sources of support. For families struggling with feeding issues, my primary goal in the first session is to let you know that your child's feeding difficulties are NOT the result of your parenting, and they are NOT the reflection of a behavior problem in your child.