Eating difficulties in younger children - brighton

www.cwmt.org.uk

Eating difficulties in

younger children when to

worry, how to help

Dr Pooky Knightsmith

@PookyH

What?

Why?

How to help?

Aims

Healthy?Hungry? Happy?

When should you worry?

He would eat

chocolate,

biscuits and

crisps but

nothing else

Selective Eating

Fussy / Faddy

Can last months

Social issues

Otherwise fine

Things that help

Play it down

Never assume

GP / Dentist

Practical support for e.g. parties

He wouldn’t

eat or drink at school (unless

they offered

him Jaffa Cakes!)

Food Refusal

Places / people

Underlying worryControl /

communicate

Makes up elsewhere

Things that help

Support, not anger

WHAT is the message?

Draw and talk

Play therapy

She barely ate at all and was very slender - but

always seemed happy and full of energy

Restrictive Eating

Eats very little

Short and slim

May be familial

Otherwise fine

Normal range

Things that help

Don’t panic!

Bullying?

Self-esteem / body image

It was like she didn’t

care enough to eat. She

was so, so sad, you could see

just by looking at

her.

Food Avoidance Emotional Disorder

No fear of weight gain

General behaviour disturbance: • Sleep problems• Poor concentration• Tearfulness• Hopelessness

Associated with depression and anxiety

May isolate themselves / avoid school

Things that help

Trauma supportSupport for

depression / anxiety if needed

GP - supplements

Beware misdiagnosis

Why?

Coping Communication

Care

www.cwmt.org.uk

She didn’t have the words to

tell us how scared she

felt at school so she did it

by not eating there.

He equated food with care and love – so he tried

to soothe his pain

with food.

You inspire not by

what you say but

what you do

It made her so happy when we gave her food.

sweets and chocolates. It

was too much – she was

bingeing and ballooning but it

was a way to show we cared.

Every meal became a

battle ground. We just wanted

him to eat something.

Anything. There was shouting

and food throwing. It was awful.

What messages do we send?

I remember this teaching

assistant from infant school

who sat with me every day

through tears and tantrums. Quietly, calmly. It took a while but I started to trust her and

began to let her in.

He grabbed a bread roll and put it on his

tray like it was the most

normal thing ever. We

exchanged no words but the look we shared said so much.

We just quietly got on with the meal but inside I was partying!

What messages do we send?

Sustainable

Support

What response is wanted / expected?

Keep a Log

Help the child feel heard

Match the need…

Coping Communication

Care

We looked for

alternative ways for her to

cope and get that

feeling of control.

She just needed

someone to hear

her. She wasn’t so good with words but drawing worked

well.

We tried to find a hundred different ways to show we cared.

Post its was his

favourite!

Cope Communicate

Care

The most important slide

of all…Try to ensure

consistent care and support

Try to

Understand what the child is

trying to cope with or attempting

to communicat

e

Give the child the

time, space and means to be heard

ExploreListen Patient

She changed my life in five minutes by making me realise I

mattered to someone, no matter how broken I was. For five minutes I felt what it was

to be cared for.

It was a fresh start.

Thank You!

@PookyH | pooky@cwmt.org

cwmt.org.uk | @charliewtrust InOurHands.com | @pookyh

Lovely Free Stuff from CWMT…

cwmt.org.uk | @charliewtrust InOurHands.com | @pookyh

Free Book Club for School Mental Health Leads

inourhands.com/bookclub @CharlieWTrust |

@PookyH

cwmt.org.uk | @charliewtrust InOurHands.com | @pookyh

Mental Health: Weekly Online Learning for Staff working with

CYP

inourhands.com/onlinelearning @CharlieWTrust | @PookyH

cwmt.org.uk | @charliewtrust InOurHands.com | @pookyh

Mental Health: Free training and workshops for school staff,

pupils and parents

inourhands.com/cwmt@CharlieWTrust | @PookyH

cwmt.org.uk | @charliewtrust InOurHands.com | @pookyh

E-NewsletterHighlighting events,

resources, research etc

inourhands.com/sign-up @CharlieWTrust | @PookyH