Eating and Drinking Support

Your child may be referred to us if they present with eating, drinking difficulties. Speech and language therapists specifically support people with swallowing difficulties, called dysphagia. We have a separate referral form for dysphagia.  

What happens at a dysphagia assessment?

An assessment will take place at home or your child’s educational setting and will usually take between 45  minutes to 1 hour. During the appointment, the therapist will ask questions about your child’s general health and development as well as their current eating and drinking. They will observe your child eating and/or drinking and may listen to their swallow using a stethoscope. You may be asked to offer a range of tastes and textures during the appointment and your therapist will advise you on what to prepare beforehand. 

What happens after assessment?

Following assessment/s, the therapist will write a report with recommendations and will discuss sharing this report with any other professionals who may be involved in your child’s care. You may also receive a mealtime plan or management plan. This will describe your child’s recommendations in detail e.g. what position to be in when eating, textures to be offered or avoided. 

Depending on your child’s needs, they may be offered a review appointment to monitor progress with the recommendations or they may be discharged with the option to re-refer if required. 

Your child will be discharged when they have the appropriate personalised eating guidelines to ensure that they are able to meet their nutritional needs safely.