Feeding difficulties in teens
When older children carry feeding challenges into adolescence. Often complex, usually multidisciplinary, almost always workable.
What persists, and
Some teens have lived with feeding difficulties since infancy or early childhood. By adolescence the management is usually well-established, but life changes put new pressure on it. Secondary school brings different eating environments, social expectations around food, more independence, and sometimes new demands like school trips, sport, and eating out with friends.
The underlying feeding difficulty may not have changed, but the context has shifted significantly. A feeding plan that worked well in primary school may need rethinking for a teenager. Reviewing and adjusting the approach, rather than just continuing what's been done for years, matters at this transition point.
Teens present with a range of feeding difficulties: dysphagia (swallowing difficulties), texture aversions, oral motor difficulties, conditions that affect appetite or intake, and complex medical conditions where nutrition has always been a challenge. The common thread is that adolescence brings new demands that require the plan to evolve.
The
Adolescence is when services start talking about transition to adult care. For teens with complex feeding difficulties, this can be a genuinely difficult process. Paediatric services are often more coordinated, more family-inclusive, and more experienced with the specific conditions involved. Adult services can feel fragmented and less familiar with childhood-onset conditions.
The NHS recognises that good transition planning means documenting the feeding plan clearly, building the teen's understanding of their own needs, and ensuring there's continuity of dietetic input across the transition. I work with families to prepare for this, starting the conversation early rather than scrambling at 17 when the transfer is imminent.
Building
Where possible, building a teen's ability to manage their own feeding is an important goal. This might mean understanding their own nutritional needs, being able to communicate them to others, preparing food that meets their requirements, or managing a modified diet in new environments. The level of independence varies with the individual and the complexity of the feeding difficulty.
For some teens, independence means fully managing their own diet. For others with more complex needs, it means being able to participate in decisions and communicate their needs to carers and professionals. Both matter, and both can be built gradually through the teen years.
Nutritional review in
Puberty increases nutritional demands across the board: more calories, more protein, more calcium, more iron. For a teen with feeding difficulties who is already working hard to meet basic nutritional needs, these increased demands can create new gaps that weren't there before.
In line with BDA best practice, I recommend a thorough nutritional review at the start of adolescence and at intervals through it. This includes dietary assessment, growth monitoring, relevant blood work, and adjustment of the nutrition plan to meet the changing demands. What was adequate at 10 may not be adequate at 14, and waiting until problems emerge is less effective than proactive review.
Common questions
A clear plan,
built around your little one.
All consultations are online and you can self-refer directly. You'll receive a written plan after every appointment.
Thorough assessment & plan
Your first appointment is 60 minutes. It includes a full clinical and dietetic assessment, and you'll receive an agreed, written plan to take away.
Review & adjust
Follow-ups are 30 minutes. We review the plan, problem-solve anything that's come up, and adjust guidance as your child progresses.
Currently self-pay only. All fees are VAT-exempt as registered healthcare services. I provide receipts with my HCPC registration details which you can submit to your insurer.