Swallowing — kids & adults

Swallowing is a skill — a complicated, learned one — and when it doesn’t work smoothly, it can affect nutrition, weight, breathing, and the social side of mealtimes.

For babies and young children we work with:

• Difficulty transitioning from purée to lumps and solids.
• “Fussy eating” that’s gone beyond a phase — narrow food list, gagging, refusal at the high chair.
• Coughing or choking on liquids.
• Restricted diets — including the “beige diet” pattern where a child will only eat a small set of pale, dry, similar-textured foods (crackers, toast, plain pasta, chips) — where the family wants to gently expand the range without mealtime battles.

For older children and adults we work with:

• Coughing or choking on food or drink.
• The feeling of food sticking, or needing to wash it down.
• Swallowing changes after stroke, head injury, or with progressive conditions like Parkinson’s or motor neurone disease.
• Recovery after head and neck cancer treatment.

What an assessment looks like. We observe a typical meal or drink, check the oral motor skills, and review medical history. For some adults a videofluoroscopy (moving X-ray) at hospital is the right next step — we’ll refer when that’s the case, and we work closely with hospital teams when a patient comes home.

When to refer. If eating, drinking, or weight gain feels unsafe or distressing — for anyone in the family — please get in touch. Earlier is better than later.