Nutrition and dietetics services
Many children and young people, because of their physical disability, have special problems with eating, drinking and therefore keeping up a good diet that will provide them with the nourishment they need. This page provides information about the service that Novita Children's Services provides to support such people, their parents and carers.
On this page
The Novita dietitians can:
- meet with children and care givers to do an assessment
- suggest how the child can get the best nutrition to give them have the energy they need and to help them grow and remain in good health
- provide written information about nutrition and eating
- work closely with other Novita staff, particularly the speech pathologists, to work out what is best for each child
- work on research and projects that relate to providing the best nutrition service for children with physical disability.
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- There is a partnership agreement between Novita and the Children Youth and Women's Health Service that enables a nutrition service to be provided to Novita patients.
- The dietitians use the time available to visit 2 of the Novita regional offices and and also to see Novita clients at the Women's and Children's Hospital.
- The dietitians are also members of the Nutrition Department of the Children Youth and Women's Health Service (Women's and Children's Hospital campus). This enables the dietitian to get valuable professional support. It also means that the dietitian can make sure that when a child is admitted to the Women's and Children's Hospital, they will get a well-organised service.
- The dietitians keep in touch, if necessary with dietitians at other hospitals, such as the Lyell McEwin Health service, Flinders Medical Centre or rural hospitals.
- The dietitians also work closely with the Home Enteral Nutrition services of the Women's and Children's Hospital and other hospitals for those children requiring nasogastric or gastrostomy feeds.
- The dietitian who visits the two Novita offices (Parafield Gardens office and Christies Beach office ) is available for individual appointments (and home visits if possible). Appointments for the regions are made with receptionists at those regions.
- The dietitian who sees children at the Women's and Children's Hospital is available for individual appointments (not home visits). Appointments at the hospital are made through the Women's and Children's Hospital Nutrition Department.
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Novita believes that a high quality nutrition service should be based on:
- family-centred services
- high professional standards that meet each child's individual needs
- high levels of involvement in planning with family members, as well as other members of the child's team
- evidence from research that shows that treatments used, actually work
- the dietitian:
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Any infant, child or teenager registered with Novita can be referred to the dietitian through staff at:
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Enteral feeds
The Novita dietitian supports many children who are fed through either a button or a gastrostomy. This form of nutritional support is called enteral feeding. Enteral feeding may be needed for a number of reasons:
- Swallowing difficulties - these can be caused by poor co-ordination of the muscles used for eating and swallowing, resulting in food or drink getting into the airways leading to the lungs. This is called aspiration and can cause infections and pneumonia. The child in this situation will often be prevented from eating or will only be only allowed small amounts of food if it is safe to do so (usually just for tasting pleasure). In some situations, the child can remain safe to eat if the texture of the food or fluid is changed to suit their needs.
- Tiredness connected with eating - once again, this can be caused by poor co-ordination of the muscles used for eating and drinking, leading to the child taking a long time to eat and drink and therefore not getting enough food in the time they have available to eat. Despite being given dietary top-ups, some such children require enteral support.
View a video clip in which Karina, a nutritionist, and a parent talk about how enteral feeds can assist children with cerebral palsy (this link loads a page that commences streaming of 7.8Mb MOV file of 3 minutes and 5 seconds duration - a text description and transcript of the video is provided)
Children are enterally fed with a formula, which provides all their nutritional requirements, including protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals. Children can receive up to 100% of what they need though enteral feeds. Those who still eat small meals, may have enteral feeds as an addition to their dietary intake. A dietitian can work out how much formula each child will need.
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Failure-to-thrive and children with high energy needs
The Novita dietitian supports babies and children who are failing to thrive or struggling to meet their daily energy requirements. Some children, due to their physical condition, need a lot of energy and, if they do not get enough calories in their diet, may become under-nourished. These children require a high-energy diet to help them gain weight.
There are a number of ways that this can be achieved, depending on whether or not the child is being enterally fed:
- If the child is not enterally fed, the challenge is slightly greater because the child's energy requirements must be met just by the diet. In this situation, a high-energy diet is required. The Novita dietitian will discuss methods to achieve this and will work with the family to make sure that the changes required are realistic and practical.
- If the child is being enterally fed, the dietitian will make adjustments to either the volume or type of formula being used. In some situations a high-energy diet, together with an increase in enteral feeds, is required.
View the factsheet 
Nutrition - High Energy Diets (PDF - 42Kb)
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Constipation
Constipation is a common problem for disabled children, especially those who spend a lot of time in a wheelchair and therefore get little chance to move their lower trunk. Symptoms of constipation can include nausea, abdominal pain and loss of appetite and severe cases of constipation can lead to a child having to be admitted to hospital. Constipation is commonly treated by a combination of medication, suppositories or enemas. Long-term use of these treatments however can cause the bowel muscles to weaken or become less effective.
Fortunately diet can be a good way of treating constipation. The Novita dietitian supports families dealing with a constipated child by talking through dietary changes that may help reduce or prevent this problem.
View the documents:
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Some children, because of their physical disability, don't use as much energy as other children. This is often because of low muscle tone or not being as physically active. If these children have no problems with chewing and swallowing, they can often eat more than they need and put on too much weight.
The Novita dietitian can spend time with the child and the family working out how to deal with this situation - often dietary changes, together with changes to activity levels are discussed.
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Dietitian projects
Funding provided by the Women’s & Children’s Hospital has enabled the dieticitian to purchase knee height calipers, specially designed to more accurately estimate the height of children who use wheelchairs. The callipers will enable Novita professionals (dietitians, paediatricians and physiotherapists) to:
- better assess growth and nutrition
- better compare children’s weight and height on growth charts
- measure limb length for other reasons, such as measuring up for a new wheelchair.
They are available for use at the Northern and Southern Offices of Novita and at the Women's and Children's Hospital.
Disclaimer Detail: The information on this website is of a general nature only and does not constitute advice. Novita Children's Services makes no representations as to the accuracy, usefulness, suitability or application of the information to a child's particular circumstances. You should seek professional advice before acting or relying on the information. In using this site, you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of Use for the site.