Supporting Feeding Difficulties
Below are a few of the reasons children are referred to our clinic:
- suck:swallow:breathe coordination difficulties when feeding
- early breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding difficulties
- concerns tongue tie may be impacting on feeding skills
- difficulties transitioning to more solid foods
- difficulties chewing food and avoidance of foods that require a lot of chewing such as meat
- food aversion or avoidance of foods in specific texture or nutrition groups
- restricted diet, will only eat a small range of foods (i.e. less than 20 foods), especially if foods are being dropped over time with no new foods replacing those lost
- frequent coughing, gagging, choking, vomiting or noisy breathing during meals
- ongoing poor weight gain or weight loss
- an infant who cries and/or arches at most meal times
- parent repeatedly reports that the child is difficult for everyone to feed
- children who require alternative nutrition via a feeding tube or PEG and are only taking a small amount of food orally or who demonstrate an oral aversion and won't take any food orally.
Feeding difficulties may be present from birth or may become apparent once your child starts solids or progresses to foods that require more advanced chewing skills. For a few children the onset is later between 18 months to 3 years when they seem to stop eating many foods they used to happily eat. Very occasionally an older child may develop feeding difficulties following a negative experience with food e.g. fears associated with eating following a bad choking episode. I have worked with premature babies as young as 33 weeks old in special care nurseries right up to primary school children with feeding difficulties.
My assessment will involve taking an in-depth feeding history, looking in your child's mouth to assess oral structures to determine if there may be a structural reasons your child may be having feeding difficulties and performing a swallowing assessment by observing them eat and/or drink and looking at how efficiently they can move the fluid and/or food from their mouth to their throat (pharynx). If there are no difficulties in these area's I will explore other possible causes of feeding difficulties (e.g. behaviour and/or sensory feeding difficulties). I may recommend referral to other specialist who would form part of a feeding team to support your child (e.g. Dietitian, Paediatrician, Occupational Therapist) if needed.
What are the aims of the feeding clinic?
- to support parents to find strategies that strengthen their child's feeding skills.
- the child will learn to have positive experiences with food
- the child will learn routine and cues to eating
- to increase the range of foods a child will try
- to increase the amount of food a child will eat
- to create a feeding program for use in their home
Sarah is trained in the SOS Approach to Feeding and has specialised in assessing and treating children with feeding difficulties.
If you feel your child does require an 'assessment' and/or 'therapy', please give me a call so we can have a chat. I look forward to meeting you and your child!
- suck:swallow:breathe coordination difficulties when feeding
- early breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding difficulties
- concerns tongue tie may be impacting on feeding skills
- difficulties transitioning to more solid foods
- difficulties chewing food and avoidance of foods that require a lot of chewing such as meat
- food aversion or avoidance of foods in specific texture or nutrition groups
- restricted diet, will only eat a small range of foods (i.e. less than 20 foods), especially if foods are being dropped over time with no new foods replacing those lost
- frequent coughing, gagging, choking, vomiting or noisy breathing during meals
- ongoing poor weight gain or weight loss
- an infant who cries and/or arches at most meal times
- parent repeatedly reports that the child is difficult for everyone to feed
- children who require alternative nutrition via a feeding tube or PEG and are only taking a small amount of food orally or who demonstrate an oral aversion and won't take any food orally.
Feeding difficulties may be present from birth or may become apparent once your child starts solids or progresses to foods that require more advanced chewing skills. For a few children the onset is later between 18 months to 3 years when they seem to stop eating many foods they used to happily eat. Very occasionally an older child may develop feeding difficulties following a negative experience with food e.g. fears associated with eating following a bad choking episode. I have worked with premature babies as young as 33 weeks old in special care nurseries right up to primary school children with feeding difficulties.
My assessment will involve taking an in-depth feeding history, looking in your child's mouth to assess oral structures to determine if there may be a structural reasons your child may be having feeding difficulties and performing a swallowing assessment by observing them eat and/or drink and looking at how efficiently they can move the fluid and/or food from their mouth to their throat (pharynx). If there are no difficulties in these area's I will explore other possible causes of feeding difficulties (e.g. behaviour and/or sensory feeding difficulties). I may recommend referral to other specialist who would form part of a feeding team to support your child (e.g. Dietitian, Paediatrician, Occupational Therapist) if needed.
What are the aims of the feeding clinic?
- to support parents to find strategies that strengthen their child's feeding skills.
- the child will learn to have positive experiences with food
- the child will learn routine and cues to eating
- to increase the range of foods a child will try
- to increase the amount of food a child will eat
- to create a feeding program for use in their home
Sarah is trained in the SOS Approach to Feeding and has specialised in assessing and treating children with feeding difficulties.
If you feel your child does require an 'assessment' and/or 'therapy', please give me a call so we can have a chat. I look forward to meeting you and your child!
