Mealtimes, Resistant Eating and Dysphagia Services in Perth
BlueRocket provides assessment and therapy for mealtimes, resistant eating and dysphagia for NDIS, aged care and privately paying clients of all ages. We have clinicians across Perth and offer telehealth for those who prefer remote support.
How It Works
Dysphagia, or swallowing difficulties, affects both children and adults and can profoundly impact health and quality of life. Meals may become stressful or unsafe when it’s difficult to swallow. At BlueRocket, our Mealtimes and Dysphagia services focus on creating safer, more enjoyable eating experiences.
We also support children and adults who are resistant or selective eaters, where their relationship with food is affecting nutrition, family mealtimes, or everyday wellbeing. Selective eating is often connected to how someone's nervous system processes sensory information. It is not a choice or a behaviour to be fixed. Our team takes a neuroaffirming approach, assessing the underlying reasons and delivering personalised, evidence-based therapy that works with the way a person experiences food. Our goal is to make mealtimes feel safer and more enjoyable for the whole family.
Our dedicated team of Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists, alongside external Dietitians, delivers interventions to reduce risk, improve comfort, and support active mealtime participation. By providing function-based and personalised support that involves your daily environment, we help re-establish one of life’s most basic comforts—eating with ease and enjoyment.
Resistant and Selective Eaters
Food selectivity exists on a spectrum. Some children and adults have strong food preferences; others have a significantly restricted diet that affects their growth, nutrition, and ability to take part in everyday situations like birthday parties or school lunches. Selective eating is often rooted in how a person’s nervous system experiences sensory input, not a behaviour problem or a parenting issue. Either way, BlueRocket can help.
What we look for in an assessment
- Sensory differences in how textures, smells, colours, or temperatures are experienced
- Oral motor differences that make certain foods uncomfortable or tiring to chew
- Anxiety or past distressing experiences around food or mealtimes
- Signs of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
- The impact on nutrition, growth, and family mealtime routines
What therapy looks like
- Play-based, low-pressure food exploration (we never force or pressure anyone to eat)
- Gradual, child-led exposure to new foods at a comfortable pace
- Sensory-informed strategies that respect how a person experiences food
- Parent and carer coaching so support continues at home
- Collaboration with OTs, Dietitians, and Psychologists where helpful
Consider a resistant eating assessment if your child:
- Eats fewer than 20 different foods, or is losing foods from their diet over time
- Experiences significant distress, anxiety, or overwhelm around mealtime
- Avoids whole food groups or textures (e.g. all mixed textures, all soft foods)
- Has difficulty taking part in meals at school, childcare, or social events
- Has a known sensory processing difference, neurodivergent profile, or developmental diagnosis
Steps Involved
Our comprehensive, evidence-based process includes:
Clinical swallowing assessment
A Speech Pathologist evaluates swallowing safety. We assess how you chew, how you swallow, and any risk of choking or aspiration.
Resistant eating & selective feeding assessment
A Speech Pathologist assesses the reasons behind food refusal or selective eating. We explore sensory differences, oral motor function, anxiety, and the range and variety of your child's diet to understand what's driving the challenge and what will help.
Tailored interventions
We provide personalised strategies for mealtime management, including:
- Texture-modified diets and thickened fluids
- Safe feeding strategies such as pacing, utensil modifications, and meal timing
- Postural adjustments and positioning to support swallowing and reduce risk
- Practical, food-based approaches to developing oral motor skills, using everyday foods and textures to support function in meaningful ways
- Support for resistant or selective eating, including gradual exposure, sensory strategies, and family coaching to make mealtimes safe, supportive, and less stressful
- Education and hands-on coaching for families and carers to facilitate safe and consistent mealtime routines
Multi-disciplinary collaboration
We collaborate with OTs for seating and positioning solutions, and Dietitians to ensure nutritional adequacy.
Support documentation
You’ll receive a detailed report to support NDIS funding applications or care planning, outlining risks, recommendations, and functional goals.
Ongoing review and adjustment of mealtimes plan
We’ll check in with you periodically to ensure the strategies are still working well for you, and adjust if needed.
Who We Support
By designing interventions tailored to your individual needs and daily environment, we help make mealtimes safe and relaxed.
Our Mealtimes & Dysphagia service is for:
- NDIS participants seeking support to safely manage mealtimes.
- People struggling with swallowing due to neurological conditions, developmental delays, or medical events like stroke.
- Children with underlying dysphagia or oral motor challenges causing food avoidance and resistant eating.
- Children and adults who are selective eaters, including those with sensory differences, anxiety around food, or restricted diet that is affecting their nutrition, growth, or participation in everyday mealtimes.
- Older adults in aged care who experience dysphagia-related complications like aspiration (when something enters the airway or lungs by accident).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Choose BlueRocket Therapy?
At BlueRocket, we take an innovative, evidence-based approach and are committed to staying at the forefront of industry best practices. Whether you're just getting started or looking to explore your options, we're here to make it easy.
Outcomes First
Your goals guide every decision, with progress tracked together every step of the way. We champion personalisation.
NDIS Expertise
Our therapists have NDIS experience and will help you navigate the complex system, so more of your focus can be on your therapy.
One Stop Shop
All your allied health services in one place, including specialised services. No retelling your story over and over again with our team first approach.
Hassle-Free Onboarding
We work to keep wait times low, so you can go from referral to booking within 48 hours.