Feeding & Swallowing Therapy for Children

 

Helping children eat and drink safely and confidently 

 

Eating and drinking involve a complex combination of skills. Children need to manage different tastes and textures, bite and chew food, move it safely through their mouth and coordinate swallowing, all while gradually developing confidence with a wider range of foods. 

​

It’s common for children to go through periods of fussiness, particularly in the toddler years. For some children, however, feeding difficulties are more persistent or complex and can affect nutrition, mealtimes and family life.

​

At Little Language, our Gold Coast speech pathologists assess feeding and swallowing skills to understand what may be contributing to your child’s difficulties and determine the most appropriate support.

 

When might feeding or swallowing support help?

 

You might notice that your child:

​

• coughs, chokes or regularly gags when eating or drinking

• has difficulty biting or chewing food

• holds food in their mouth or takes a very long time to finish meals

• has difficulty progressing to more age-appropriate food textures

• eats a very limited range of foods that continues to reduce or does not expand over time

• avoids particular textures, tastes or types of food

• becomes distressed or anxious around eating

• has difficulty drinking safely from a cup, straw or bottle

• has a history of medical, developmental or structural factors that may affect feeding or swallowing

​

Feeding difficulties can have many different causes, and children may experience difficulties for more than one reason. Understanding what is driving the problem is an important first step..

 

How can a speech pathologist help?

 

Speech pathologists have specific training in the muscles and movements involved in eating, drinking and swallowing. Assessment may look at your child’s oral motor skills, chewing, management of different food textures and liquids, swallowing safety and their overall experience of mealtimes.

​

Support is tailored to your child and family. Depending on what we find, this may involve developing oral feeding skills, supporting progression through textures, increasing confidence with food or making mealtimes safer and more manageable.

​

Feeding and swallowing are also areas where collaboration is particularly important. When needed, we may recommend input from your child’s GP, paediatrician, dietitian, occupational therapist, ENT or other health professionals so that we can understand the whole picture.

​​

Concerned about your child's eating or swallowing?

 

If you’re not sure whether what you’re seeing is typical childhood fussiness or something that would benefit from assessment, you’re welcome to ask.

​

When you call Little Language, you’ll speak directly with a speech pathologist who can talk through your concerns and help you decide on the most appropriate next step.

 

Get in touch with our team to have a chat about your child’s feeding or swallowing.

 

Helping kids find their roar.