Feeding Therapy Australia

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Feeding Therapy Australia

Owned by Valerie Gent ('s Eat! Feeding Therapy) and Debbie Alvarez ( Kids Sydney)

02/11/2026

Capacity and load shape feeding safety far more than most people realise.

At our disability workshop, Val Gent (Speech Pathologist) will unpack how these forces interact during real mealtimes and why they matter for therapists supporting children with complex needs. We don't want to give you any more info because this module is really going to support your thinking around safety when working in the field of dysphagia.

Don't miss out!!
Supporting Disabled Children with Complex Dysphagia
A Responsive and Multidisciplinary Approach
📅 16–17 November 2026
💻 Online
⏰ 8:30am–5pm
🎟️ Book your place:
feedingtherapyaustralia.com.au

30/10/2026

Six experienced clinicians. Four different professions. One very important conversation.

Supporting disabled children with complex dysphagia is rarely the job of one profession.

That’s why we’re so excited to bring together six experienced clinicians from across Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics and Developmental Paediatrics for our upcoming two-day workshop.

You’ll hear from:
🔹 Val Gent – Speech Pathologist
🔹 Debbie Alvarez – Speech Pathologist
🔹 Rebecca Penfold – Occupational Therapist
🔹 Lauren Gladman – Dietitian
🔹 Kate Headley – Speech Pathologist
🔹 Dr Chris Elliot - General and developmental paediatrician

Each profession brings a different perspective to the complex factors that can impact a child’s eating, drinking and swallowing.
Across the two days, we’ll bring these perspectives together to explore assessment, clinical reasoning, aspiration risk, tube feeding, chewing, positioning, medical and respiratory factors, nutrition, intervention and mealtime management.

Don't miss out!!

Supporting Disabled Children with Complex Dysphagia
A Responsive and Multidisciplinary Approach
📅 16–17 November 2026
💻 Online
⏰ 8:30am–5pm
🎟️ Book your place:
feedingtherapyaustralia.com.au

30/10/2026

Guest Speaker Alert! 📣

We are very excited to announce that Dr Chris Elliot will be joining us at our two-day workshop on Supporting Disabled Children with Complex Dysphagia.

Chris is a general and developmental paediatrician with a longstanding interest in paediatric feeding disorders. He has worked in public hospital Multidisciplinary Paediatric Feeding Clinics since 2014 as well as in private rooms. He is a co-founder and Director of SUCCEED Child Feeding Alliance; a national not-for-profit focused on changing the world for children who use tubes at mealtimes and their families.

We will be doing a Q&A style presentation discussing:
•Where dysphagia sits within the medical model,
•The role of the paediatrician and other specialist medical teams in supporting feeding difficulties,
•Managing gastrointestinal health including vomiting, reflux, and constipation,
•Supporting children who have seizures,
•Working collaboratively with your paediatrician.

Don't miss out!!
Supporting Disabled Children with Complex Dysphagia
A Responsive and Multidisciplinary Approach
📅 16–17 November 2026
💻 Online
⏰ 8:30am–5pm

29/10/2026

🚨 ONE MONTH TO GO!!

Interested in our November workshop but wondering how it differs from our Responsive Feeding House Model workshop? Here’s the rundown! 👇

🆕 NEW CONTENT:
• A framework for understanding feeding in children with disabilities
• Clinical reasoning and risk-based decision-making
• VFSS and FEES: choosing the right assessment
• Saliva management and oral hygiene updates
• OT tips for positioning and self-feeding
• Paediatrician Q&A
• A practical mealtime management plan checklist

🔎 DEEPER DIVES:
• EDAR (Eating and Drinking with Acknowledged Risk)
• Feeding assessment tools
• New videos and case studies on chewing, cup and straw drinking
• Joint speech pathology and dietetics session on tube feeding and weaning
• Trauma-informed care in paediatric dysphagia

💻 100% ONLINE: join us from home or work!

📅 16–17 November 2026
⏰ 8:30 am–5:00 pm

🎟️ Book your place: feedingtherapyaustralia.com.au

Don't miss out! 🙌

28/10/2026

Guest Speaker Alert!

We are very excited to announce that Dr Chris Elliot will be joining us at our two-day workshop on Supporting Disabled Children with Complex Dysphagia.

Chris is a general and developmental paediatrician with a longstanding interest in paediatric feeding disorders. He has worked in public hospital Multidisciplinary Paediatric Feeding Clinics since 2014 as well as in private rooms. He is a co-founder and Director of SUCCEED Child Feeding Alliance; a national not-for-profit focused on changing the world for children who use tubes at mealtimes and their families.

We will be doing a Q&A style presentation discussing:
•Where dysphagia sits within the medical model,
•The role of the paediatrician and other specialist medical teams in supporting feeding difficulties,
•Managing gastrointestinal health including vomiting, reflux, and constipation,
•Supporting children who have seizures,
•Working collaboratively with your paediatrician.

Don't miss out!!
Supporting Disabled Children with Complex Dysphagia
A Responsive and Multidisciplinary Approach
📅 16–17 November 2026
💻 Online
⏰ 8:30am–5pm

02/10/2026

Six experienced clinicians. Four different professions. One very important conversation.
Supporting disabled children with complex dysphagia is rarely the job of one profession.
That’s why we’re so excited to bring together six experienced clinicians from across Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics and Rehabilitation Medicine for our upcoming two-day workshop.
You’ll hear from:
🔹 Val Gent – Speech Pathologist
🔹 Debbie Alvarez – Speech Pathologist
🔹 Rebecca Penfold – Occupational Therapist
🔹 Lauren Gladman – Dietitian
🔹 Kate Headley – Speech Pathologist
🔹 Medical Specialist - to be confirmed
Each profession brings a different perspective to the complex factors that can impact a child’s eating, drinking and swallowing.
Across the two days, we’ll bring these perspectives together to explore assessment, clinical reasoning, aspiration risk, tube feeding, chewing, positioning, medical and respiratory factors, nutrition, intervention and mealtime management.
Don't miss out!!
Supporting Disabled Children with Complex Dysphagia
A Responsive and Multidisciplinary Approach
📅 16–17 November 2026
💻 Online
⏰ 8:30am–5pm
🎟️ Book your place:
feedingtherapyaustralia.com.au

28/09/2026

Hear Val, Debbie and Bec speak about their recent 3 day Responsive Feeding House Model workshop last week. They reflected on the positive changes that have occurred since they started these workshops over 5 years ago and some of the challenges that families and therapists have been presented with over this time. It's an interactive and useful discussion - have a listen....

25/09/2026

Feeding therapy is about so much more than expanding the number of foods a child eats.

It is also about connection, participation and being included socially. Rather than asking “What new food can we get them to eat?”, could we ask, “How can we support this child be part of the experience?”
🍕 Joining the family for pizza night
🎂 Being part of a birthday party
🏫 Participating in school celebrations
🍽️ Eating alongside friends
👨‍👩‍👧 Sharing family meals

In this video, Val shares how social inclusion at family meals can be a goal that, for some parents, they have not even considered a possibility.

21/09/2026

The guards are standing by…. This analogy created by Deb from Feeding Therapy Australia is often used to help children understand why new foods can be scary for them . It is BRILLIANT! We use it all the time in our clinic and this year, we managed to capture it live as she explained it to the 2026 Responsive Feeding House Model delegates. It's really a good listen and learn....
WANT TO HEAR MORE? COME TO OUR 2027 WORKSHOP IN AUGUST TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO SUPPORT CHILDREN WITH FEEDING DIFFERENCES.

18/09/2026

Highlights from our 2026 Responsive Feeding House Model Workshop!

Thank you to the 107 delegates who joined us both in Sydney and virtually online from all around Australia, New Zealand and Asia. As with previous years, we had a multidisciplinary group of speech pathologists, occupational therapists, dietitians, social workers, doctors and naturopaths.

What stood out most was the way delegates brought curiosity, generosity and a deep commitment to supporting families. Their questions, reflections and shared experiences created a learning space that felt thoughtful and energising. It is always inspiring to see clinicians take these ideas back to their communities and translate them into everyday moments of felt safety, connection and progress for children and their caregivers.

We love running this workshop each year, and we are already looking forward to offering it again in late August or early September 2027. Stay in touch via our social media streams and website: www.feedingtherapyaustralia.com.au

Address

Sydney, NSW

Website

http://www.feedingtherapyaustralia.com.au/

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