What to expect for your first appointment!

You will be sent a form in advance of the appointment to fill in and return. This will include information regarding your child's birth and development, feeding history and current feeding difficulties. 

On the day of the assessment you will be asked to bring food and drink with you.  We will ask you to bring some of your child's preferred foods and also food they do not currently eat. 

Assessment of Oral Function: We will assess the muscles used for feeding including strength, range of movement and tolerance of touch. 

Assessment of Eating, Drinking and Swallowing: We will observe your child eating and drinking the foods that you bring. This allows us to see how your child manages food and fluids and their own saliva. It also gives us a chance to see how a child responds to new foods.

Following the assessment we will discuss our findings with you. We will give recommendations such as advice around positioning, rate of feeding or food/drink modifications to increase safety. We may give a desensitisation programme for aversive feeders.