Closing date 11th September, 2025
Numbers are capped and may fill before closing date

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Accomodation and parking available at venue

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For any enquiries email admin@speechpathologyservices.com.au or call (02) 9745 5133

WORKSHOP OUTLINE

1. What is “normal” feeding? How do our clients fit into this?

2. Factors that impact the development of feeding skills.

3. Origins and causal factors in feeding issues

4. Assessing feeding issues

• Oral reflexes, sucking, swallowing Signs of aspiration

• Swallowing status and signs of aspiration of fluid.

• Oral sensory and motor status/skills

• Oral preparation of solid food textures (spoon, tongue transfers, biting, chewing)

• Self feeding skills

• Environmental factors/input

• Parent/carer’s involvement/skills

• Ability to orally feed with time constraints.

5. Assessing cases

The aspirator, refuser, gagger, slow feeder.

6. Management of feeding issues:

• Facilitating readiness to feed (if on tube feeding) Improving sucking, swallowing and intake of fluids

• Improving acceptance of equipment, food types and textures and reduce refusal.

• Assisting transition to, acceptance and intake of purees, mixed textures and solid foods (The Stages of foods and how to facilitate safe and pleasurable intake whilst developing oral preparation will be discussed)

• Improving biting, tongue movement and chewing skills.

• Facilitating safe and adequate oral intake, hydration and nutrition across environments.

• Expanding the range of foods a child will eat.

• Facilitating self feeding participation and skills.

• Formulating a meal plan

7. Management cases

• Eg tongue thrust, refusal, poor self feeding, poor transition through solid textures, poor chewing 

• What does a feeding session look like?

• Training of parents, carers and support workers

8. Tube to oral management

• Facilitating feeding whilst tube fed

• Choice of oral feeding method/equipment

•  Successful but safe and practical oral feeding​​

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ABOUT THE PRESENTER : SARAH STARR

Sarah has extensive experience in the assessment and management of eating, drinking and communication issues. Experience has been gained whilst working at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (formerly the Spastic Centre, NSW), Westmead Hospital, The Children's Hospital at Westmead and in private practice over the past 39 years.

Specialising in oromotor movements, oral and craniofacial abnormalities (eg. tongue-tie, cleft palate, dental speech problems), severe feeding aversion and early feeding difficulties (breast, bottle feeding and with solid transition and eating skills. Sarah has wide experience with a range of congenital syndromes, chromosome disorders, cleft palate, developmental delay, brain injury, prematurity, cerebral palsy, disability and autism. Sarah has many years of experience in transitioning infants and children from tube to oral feeding. Sarah also specialises in medico-legal assessments and provides regular lecturing and mentoring to students, allied health professionals and parent groups.

Sarah is currently working in private practice with her caseload primarily focused on infant and childhood feeding difficulties including breast and bottle feeding difficulties, difficulties transitioning to solid foods and a range of feeding disorders associated with conditions such as craniofacial abnormalities, down syndrome, autism and congenital syndromes.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

This workshop is designed to have participants involved and to be interactive. Many video examples of cases will be given and practical guidelines and display of feeding equipment and resources (eg manuals, texts etc). There will be time for questions across the modules

ABOUT THE VENUE

The venue is within walking distance from Olympic Park railway station and is fully accessible. Accommodation is available at venue and parking onsite is also available ($49 per day/night if a hotel guest)

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Morning tea, afternoon tea and lunch will be provided and dietary needs can be requested.