Fussy Eaters, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake, Chewing Difficulties

Fussy Eating

Chewing Difficulties

ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive
Food Intake Disorder)

Responsive Feeding Therapy (RFT)

RFT is, in essence, about tuning in to the child’s needs and creating a nurturing, respectful, and supportive environment for eating. By observing your child’s cues, responding to their needs, and providing a safe, positive space to explore food, you help foster a healthy relationship with food that lasts into adulthood. It is an approach that seeks to reduce mealtime stress, support emotional wellbeing and encourage children to develop healthy eating habits in a way that feels natural, rather than forced.

The Benefits of Responsive Feeding Therapy

Reduction in mealtime stress
Better eating habits
Improved emotional and social development
Autonomy in eating
Supports healthy growth

Why is Responsive Feeding a Positive Approach?

Non-Coercive: Unlike other methods that might focus on behavioural control (e.g., insisting a child eats everything on their plate), RFT promotes a nurturing, non-pressuring environment. This aims to achieve better long-term outcomes, as children aren’t forced to eat in ways that can breed food aversions or negative associations with eating.
Builds Trust: The foundation of RFT is trust. Children feel more comfortable and secure when their caregivers respect their needs and signals. This fosters a more co-operative relationship with food.
Holistic: RFT takes into account the child’s overall emotional and developmental needs, making it more than just about eating. It promotes the child’s general well-being and growth.
Parent Empowerment: The therapy doesn’t just focus on the child but also empowers caregivers by teaching them how to respond to their child’s unique needs effectively, making them active participants in the child’s feeding journey.

Responsive Feeding Therapy offers a comprehensive, nurturing approach that aligns with the child’s developmental needs while promoting positive mealtime experiences. It tends to create more sustainable and healthier eating habits in children, and is seen as an excellent alternative to more forceful, rigid feeding strategies.

Fussy Eating Behaviour

Fussy eating is something a child may not grow out of on their own and they may become more restricted with their food over time. These children will need therapy to expand and support their food intake.

Parents may experience difficult mealtimes and challenging mealtime behaviours from their child. This can increase stress and anxiety around mealtimes for the whole family. At Speech and Munchies a ‘Responsive Feeding Therapy' approach is adopted.

Key signs to seek therapy:

Does your child refuse to try new foods?
Does your child have a limited range of foods (e.g., less than 20 foods)?
Does your child avoid entire food groups (e.g., all fruit or vegetables)?
Is your child anxious around food and mealtimes?
Does your child’s fussy eating affect their daily life (e.g., eating at daycare, school, playdates and parties)?
Does your child show preference for the same foods at given mealtimes (e.g., only drinking hot chocolate for breakfast)?

Chewing Difficulties

There are various reasons why children may experience chewing difficulties. Identifying the underlying cause is crucial in creating an effective treatment plan.

Key signs to seek therapy:

Does your child hold food in their mouth (e.g., storing it in their cheeks)?
Does your child avoid harder foods that require chewing?
Does your child prefer to eat soft-textured foods?
Does your child have a tongue thrust?
Does your child have a tongue tie?
Do you constantly need to tell your child to chew with their mouth closed?

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

ARFID is characterized by a limited range of food intake and an avoidance of certain foods based on sensory characteristics, texture, or fear of choking. This behaviour goes beyond the typical picky eater.

Key signs to seek therapy:

Limited food variety.
Fear of specific textures, colours, and smells.
Avoidance of eating due to sensory issues.
Significant weight loss or health concerns around failure to thrive.
Impact on social interactions (e.g., avoiding eating at social situations).
High levels of anxiety or stress related to eating.Constipation.
Constipation.

At Sydney Speech and Munchies Lesley takes a neurodiverse affirming approach to speech pathology assessments and therapy.

Initial Consult

Let’s get to know each other.
Listening to your concerns.
Gathering information about your child.
Recommendation made for type and cost of assessment.
Scheduling assessment time.

Assessment Session

Initial assessment.
Informal feedback provided.
Assessment results provided in a formal report.

Planning & Discussion

Discussing assessment results.
Recommendations for therapy goals.
If required, contact with other allied health.

Therapy

Neurodiverse affirming therapy.
Booking session times.

Review

Review of therapy progress and feedback provided at different times.
Review of therapy goals.

At Sydney Speech and Munchies, Lesley Slattery provides neurodiverse affirming therapy for pre-school and primary school children in the convenience of their home, school, or other familiar location.

We offer services for:

Speech Difficulties

A speech sound disorder (SSD) occurs when there are difficulties producing or articulating sounds correctly in speech.

Fussy Eating & ARFID

ARFID is characterised by a limited range of food intake and an avoidance of certain foods based on sensory characteristics, texture, or fear of choking. This behaviour goes beyond the typical picky eater.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

OMT focuses on improving the function of the muscles in and around the mouth (the orofacial region). OMT focuses on improving the function of the muscles in the orofacial region, including those involved in breathing, chewing, swallowing, and speaking. Therapy addresses and corrects muscle imbalances that can affect oral and facial function.

Literacy difficulties

Literacy difficulties are often characterised by challenges with reading, writing, and spelling, decoding words, understanding written text, and expressing thoughts in writing. These difficulties can impact academic performance and everyday communication.

Language Difficulties

Language difficulties can arise in both receptive and expressive language skills. Receptive language difficulties involve challenges with understanding spoken or written language, while expressive language difficulties affect a person’s ability to communicate thoughts, ideas, and feelings effectively through speech or writing. These difficulties can impact communication and comprehension, leading to challenges in academic and social settings.

Gestalt Language Processing

GLP is a distinct approach to language processing in which individuals often learn and use language in chunks or gestalts, rather than focusing on individual words or components.

Contact Us

Lesley Slattery is an experienced speech pathologist and is the owner of Sydney Speech and Munchies.

Lesley is known for prioritising a neurodiversity affirming approach to speech ,literacy, language and feeding therapy, bringing personalized, compassionate care directly to clients and caregivers, whether at home, school, or another familiar setting.