What do we do?
We see children/young people who are experiencing eating and drinking difficulties and showing signs of aspiration/unsafe swallow including at least two of the following:
- Coughing/choking
- Recurrent chest infections
- Voice quality changes after eating/drinking
- Changes in breathing during eating/drinking
- Take a long time to finish meals
We do not see children who are experiencing eating and drinking difficulties that are behavioural or sensory in nature e.g. gagging, food refusal, refusing certain textures, ARFID.
We work with parents and medical professionals to assess the child’s swallow, provide compensatory strategies and/or modify textures to ensure the child/young person are eating and drinking safely. Onward referrals may be made to support investigation of the child’s eating and/or drinking difficulties.
Where do we work?
We work mostly at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Bassetlaw Hospital and Retford Hospital, but we can also support children in more familiar settings e.g. home, nursery, school.
What to expect?
All our first appointments are completed face to face with the child/young person and their parent/carer. We will discuss the child/young person’s eating and drinking difficulties, and observe the child/young person eating and drinking with textures they find easy to eat/drink and textures they find more difficult.
Following this first assessment, support will be provided to parent/carer to ensure the child/young person is eating and drinking safely, follow up appointments and/or onward referrals will be made to investigate the child/young person’s eating and drinking difficulties further.
Other information
Sometimes a referral for a videofluoroscopy is required, which is a moving x-ray of the child/young person’s swallow. Videofluoroscopy assessments take place at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
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