These case scenarios have been chosen to describe the use of the Feeding Development Framework in assessing and managing children with a variety of feeding difficulties.

All scenarios use a family centred strengths based approach and draw on the skills of a range of health professionals.  The cases chosen highlight a range of strategies that could be applied to other feeding difficulties.   They are illustrative only and cannot be considered to encompass all situations, for example, significant social factors that may impinge on a family’s functioning or the impact of very divergent cultural practices. Strategies therefore, may need to be adapted or developed further if these issues were to arise.

The management of each of the cases is considered using a series of structured questions.  To build your confidence in managing children with feeding difficulties it is recommended that before proceeding to the suggested answer you take some time to first consider and then compare your response. 

1. Nina     Feeding difficulties in an infant who only feeds when asleep.
2. Ava     Gagging or choking - challenges increasing textures in the diet.
3. Jack     Feeding difficulties associated with excessive milk consumption.
4. Max     Increasing diet variety on a background of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
5. Lyla     Managing potential feeding problems associated with Cerebral Palsy.
6. Sam     Transition from tube to oral feeding in a baby with transient developmental delays.
7. Mia      Combining social eating with tube feeding for optimal outcomes.