Aida has held many leadership roles, including being past-chair of the Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group. She was a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Board of Directors, and Speaker of their House of Delegates between 2014 and 2017. Most recently, Aida has served as a leader in the Academy’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee (2017-2021), the Academy’s Policy and Advocacy Committee (2019-2022), and the Weight Management Practice Group’s Awards and Honors Committee (2020-2022).
Pediatric Care
Dr. Patel is on editorial review board for Behavior Analysis in Practice, a consulting editor on the Behavioral Development Bulletin and previously has served on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Education and Treatment of Children. Dr. Patel is also a guest reviewer for the Journal of Pediatrics, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Research in Developmental Disabilities, Education and Treatment of Children, and European Journal of Behavior Analysis.
Electrocardiogram
When you have your first baby, or any baby for that matter, having them not eat or want to eat is something that would never cross your mind. A baby eats, and if they don't eat, just wait, when they are hungry they WILL eat - right? That's what we heard over and over, but at just 6 months old our little girl was FTT (failure to thrive) - her weight was way below the curve, her height was stunted and you could see her tiny ribs coming out. Like any parent would, we tried everything we could think of to fix the problem, or find out what the problem was. We had several tests done, a swallow study, upper GI, EEG, EKG, Echo, allergy tests, etc etc. In addition to medical tests, as a breastfeeding mom, I did the elimination diet, I visited countless lactation consultations and meetings - anything I could think of, we tried. We just wanted our baby to eat and to not refuse 95% of the time she was at the breast (she would cry, push away, arch her back). It finally came down to the fact that our baby was suffering from silent reflux. I had no idea reflux could cause such aversion to eating, but here we were witnessing it right before our eyes. At 11 months old we were still struggling and it was at this point that our doctor said it had come to the point that we would need to put our baby on a feeding tube as the lack of nutrition would soon start to affect brain development, unless we could get into a feeding program ASAP.
Dr. Patel has been working with children with autism and other disabilities for over 20 years. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Patel founded Clinic 4 Kidz in 2003 and currently serves as the Executive Director. In addition to her duties at Clinic 4 Kidz, Dr. Patel is currently an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Clinic 4 Kidz provides intensive feeding therapy for children from 9 months to 12 years of age. We work with children with a variety of medical diagnosis (e.g., gastroesophageal reflux, failure to thrive, cardiac and pulmonary conditions). In addition, we also provide treatment for children with autism who display food selectivity by type and texture.
Case Managers are responsible for developing data-based assessments and treatment for children with pediatric feeding disorders and autism under the direct supervision of Dr. Meeta Patel. Along with developing treatments, Case Managers also coordinate services with other disciples (e.g., medicine, speech pathology/occupational therapy, nutrition etc.). Parent training is a major component of these positions. In addition, Case Manager II positions will also involve some clinical research and training responsibilities.