Is Your Child Swallowing Safely? Are They a Picky Eater?
Our Feeding and Dysphagia Specialist Speech & Language Therapists Can Help Children Swallow Safely And Achieve A Varied And Nutritional Diet
Being able to eat and drink safely and nutritionally is not only vital to keeping children nourished and well, mealtimes are also an important social and family experience that can help children develop interaction skills and language.
Our team of dedicated, experienced and qualified speech and language therapists assess and provide treatment for children with eating, drinking or swallowing difficulties, including sensory feeding issues.
How We Help Children and Young People With Swallowing and Feeding
Our dysphagia service provides our clients with the latest evidence-based treatment which may include exercises, postural/behavioural modifications and diet recommendations. We follow the IDDSI framework in how we assess and treat our clients and for the provision of diet modification recommendations.
We will work in collaboration with any other professionals involved in the child’s care such as paediatricians, dietitians, OTs and PTs.
Our work is holistic and child centred; we strongly believe in working collaboratively with families and carers to incorporate their goals and expectations into our treatment plans and make a positive difference to the lives of children.
How do I Know If a Child or Young Person has Dysphagia or a Sensory Feeding Issue?
A child is considered a candidate for dysphagia or feeding therapy when they:
Show signs of or are at risk of aspiration (inhaling bits of food or drink into your lungs as opposed to it going down into your stomach)
Have difficulty managing a variety of foods
Are unable to meet their nutritional needs through eating (or by mouth)
Have difficulty during mealtimes because swallowing is unenjoyable, takes a long time, or is effortful
Are extremely limited in the foods they will eat and tolerate
Have an aversion to certain colours or textures of food
