What to Expect
Your pathway through feeding, swallowing & mealtime support at THRIVE
Feeding and swallowing challenges can feel overwhelming — but your pathway at THRIVE is designed to be clear, supportive and collaborative.
1. Before your appointment
Once your booking is confirmed, you’ll receive:
- a welcome email
- intake forms
- consent forms
- space to share your goals, concerns and history
This helps your clinician prepare thoroughly so your first session is meaningful and efficient.
If you’re an NDIS participant, we’ll also gather:
- plan details
- goals
- support‑team contacts (if relevant)
2. Initial Assessment
Your first appointment is a comprehensive assessment led by a Speech Pathologist.
Depending on age and needs, this may include:
Feeding Assessment
- feeding history
- sensory preferences
- oral‑motor skills
- mealtime routines
- emotional and behavioural factors
- family goals
- participation across settings
Swallowing (Dysphagia) Assessment
- oral‑motor examination
- swallowing safety
- mealtime observation
- texture tolerance
- risk factors
- medical history
Infant Feeding Assessment
- latch and positioning
- oral‑motor function
- feeding efficiency
- milk transfer
- parent comfort
- feeding patterns
Telehealth Note
Some assessments can occur via telehealth, but swallowing assessments must be completed in person for safety.
3. Clear, practical recommendations
At the end of your assessment, you’ll receive:
- a clear explanation of findings
- practical strategies you can start immediately
- recommendations for therapy (if needed)
- guidance on frequency and focus areas
- information about multidisciplinary involvement (if relevant)
4. Your Individualised Plan
If therapy is recommended, your clinician will create a plan that may include:
- feeding therapy goals
- sensory strategies
- oral‑motor development
- mealtime routines
- participation goals
- parent coaching
- support‑worker training
- dysphagia management (if relevant)
This plan is shared with you and, with consent, your broader team.
5. Therapy Sessions
Therapy is:
- gentle
- child‑led
- low‑pressure
- evidence‑based
- multidisciplinary when needed
- focused on participation and confidence
Depending on your needs, therapy may include:
- sensory‑motor exploration
- oral‑motor skill development
- expanding food variety
- reducing mealtime stress
- ARFID‑informed approaches
- autism‑affirming strategies
- texture recommendations
- pacing and positioning
- mealtime safety strategies
- dysphagia management plans
- latch and positioning
- bottle feeding strategies
- solids introduction
- parent coaching
A core part of the THRIVE model — empowering families with confidence and clarity.
6. Multidisciplinary Involvement
Your clinician may involve:
Occupational Therapy
(sensory, regulation, posture, participation)
Psychology
(anxiety, ARFID‑related emotional factors, mealtime stress)
Behaviour Support
(routines, consistency, support‑worker training)
7. Collaboration with your team
With your consent, we can collaborate with:
- GPs
- paediatricians
- specialists
- dietitians
- educators
- support coordinators
- support workers
- allied health providers
This ensures consistent, safe and effective support across environments.
8. Review & Progress
We regularly review:
- progress toward goals
- changes in feeding or swallowing
- new challenges
- family priorities
- support‑team needs
Plans are updated as needed to ensure ongoing relevance and effectiveness.
9. Reports & Documentation
If required, we can provide:
- assessment reports
- progress summaries
- NDIS documentation
- recommendations for schools or care teams
All reports are clear, practical and aligned with your goals.
10. Future Pathways
If your needs change, we can support transitions to:
- different therapy focus areas
- multidisciplinary involvement
- school or childcare support
- community participation
- or discharge when goals are met
Frequently Asked Questions
We support infants, children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Feeding and swallowing needs change across the lifespan, and our approach adapts to each stage.
A feeding or swallowing assessment explores what is happening during mealtimes, how feeding skills are developing, and whether any medical, developmental, sensory, or oral‑motor factors may be contributing to difficulties. It includes discussion, observation, and evidence‑based clinical reasoning to guide next steps.
Yes. Most feeding assessments include both Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy.
Families often seek support when feeding feels stressful, effortful, or uncertain, or when mealtime routines are becoming difficult to manage. If you have concerns about safety, comfort, skill development, or mealtime confidence, an assessment can help clarify what’s happening.
Yes. We collaborate with GPs, paediatricians, lactation consultants, dietitians, OTs, and other clinicians to support coordinated, consistent care.
No. You can contact us directly to arrange an appointment. Referrals from GPs, paediatricians, or other health professionals are welcome but not required.
You’ll receive clear information about the findings, along with practical strategies and recommendations tailored to your goals and routines. If further support or collaboration with other health professionals is helpful, we will discuss this with you.
We are based in Newcastle, NSW, and support families across the Hunter region and Central Coast, including Lake Macquarie, Maitland, and Port Stephens.
Yes. Telehealth is available for feeding and swallowing support across NSW.
Yes — we support self‑managed, plan‑managed and NDIA‑managed participants through our parent company’s (EduCare) NDIS registration.
Yes. We support families with early feeding development, including challenges related to coordination, endurance, transitions to solids, and mealtime routines. We work alongside medical teams and other professionals involved in your infant’s care.
Yes — including neurological conditions, disability‑related dysphagia and age‑related swallowing changes.