A child with special educational needs or a disability may have problems with eating, drinking and feeding for different reasons
- Physical or mental health disability
- neurological disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy, meningitis, encephalopathy, pervasive developmental disorders, traumatic brain injury, muscle weakness in face and neck);
- factors affecting neuromuscular coordination (e.g., prematurity, low birth weight);
- complex medical conditions (e.g., heart disease, pulmonary disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD], delayed gastric emptying);
- structural abnormalities (e.g., cleft lip and/or palate, laryngomalacia, tracheoesohageal fistula, esophageal atresia, head and neck abnormalities, choanal atresia);
- genetic syndromes (e.g., Pierre Robin, Prader-Willi, Treacher-Collins, 22q11 deletion);
- medication side effects (e.g., lethargy, decreased appetite);
- sensory issues leading to limited food intake
- behavioral factors (e.g., food refusal);
- social, emotional, and environmental issues (e.g., difficult parent-child interactions at mealtimes).
It might take longer for your child to be able to feed themselves, but developing the skills to do so can also help them in other ways, such as with speech and language development and co-ordination.
The Ealing Early Start and health visiting teams will be able to offer useful general advice on breastfeeding, weaning, food refusal due to behaviour and transitioning onto solid foods. If you still have concerns you may need a referral to a specialist service which can be made by the GP or a paediatrician for example:
- A speech and language therapist is able to offer assessment and advice for swallowing and oral motor skills such as not being able to chew.
- An occupational therapist can advise you about aids that might help your child such as special plates, bowls cups, adapted cutlery or non- slip mats.
- A physiotherapist or occupational therapist can advise you on getting your child into the right physical position to eat.
- A dietitian can help you if you're concerned that your child is underweight, nutritionally deficient in vitamins or minerals, has a diagnosed food allergy/intolerance, is significantly above a healthy weight or is fed artifically through a tube.
Ealing Community Paediatric Dietetic Service
Registered dietitians are qualified health care professionals that assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutrition problems at an individual and wider public health level. We provide specialist nutrition advice and education based on the latest evidence, to help you improve your child’s health. Dietitians in the service are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
The Community Paediatric Dietetic Service provides an assessment, treatment and advice to children and their parents or carers of the children who are registered with an Ealing PCT GP and live in Ealing or within 1 mile of the Ealing Borough border.
We may see your child at your child’s special school, a community clinic in a few health centres across Ealing or at home if your child is housebound.
What Support do the Paediatric Dietetic Service Offer?
• discuss your child’s medical condition, health, eating and drinking and other factors which may affect their treatment
• take your child’s height, weight or other measurements to help monitor their growth.
• agree a treatment plan with personal goals to help you.
• provide you with written information if needed.
• provide your child with nutritional supplements if there is a clinical need for them.
• organise your child’s tube feeds and equipment and provide support and advise on their individualised feeding plan if this is required.
Referral Process
If you feel that your child has a nutrition related condition, and you would like to see a dietician to dietry advice and support, please speak to your GP, health visitor or any health professional that is supporting your child. They will be able to refer your child to the Community Paediatric Dietetic Service.
Referral criteria for the Community Paediatric Dietetic Service will be based on children with the following nutrition related conditions:
• a child who has dysphagia or feeding difficulties and have been assessed by a speech and language therapist
• a child who is underweight, has faltering growth or has recently lost a significant amount of weight
• a child who is significantly above a healthy weight
• a child who has diagnosed deficiencies in vitamins or minerals, such as iron deficiency anaemia
• a child who has a diagnosed food allergy or diagnosed intolerance
• a child who is tube fed either temporarily or permanently
The Ealing Community Peaediatric Dietetic Service do not see children who are selective eaters and picky or fussy with their food as their local health visiting team are able to provide support and advice to the family. Further useful information on fussy eating can be found on the NHS Website.
Contact Details
Ealing Community Paediatric Dietitians
Mattock Lane Health Centre
78 Mattock Lane
West Ealing
W13 9NZ
Tel: 020 8383 5717
Useful Links and Resources
Useful resources
