Does your child have feeding difficulties?
Is your child a fussy eater?
If they are between 1 and 6 years old, they may be eligible to join the Healthy Eating Learning Program (HELP) Study!
The HELP Study is a research program aimed at comparing the outcomes of different therapy approaches used to assist children with feeding difficulties and/or a restricted oral diet to increase the volume and variety of foods eaten.
The following sections provide more detailed information about the study. A copy of the participant information sheet can be found below.
Participation in the HELP Study is voluntary. Being involved in this intervention study will allow your child direct access to multi-disciplinary therapy intervention programs that are currently being used throughout major feeding clinics in Australia and overseas free of charge.
If you wish to discuss your child’s eligibility with one of the HELP study team, or you wish to register your child for an assessment to determine their eligibility to participate, you can contact us on : helpstudy@uq.edu.au or Ph: 07 3636 6100.
Healthy Eating Learning Program (HELP) Study
Inclusion criteria:
The HELP Study research program is currently open to children between 1-6 years of age who present with feeding difficulty and/or restricted oral intake. This includes:
· Children who eat a limited range of foods
o < 30 foods accepted
o <10 fruit/ vegetables, <10 proteins, <10 grains/starches
· Children who eat a limited range of textures
o Often reliance on ‘easy to eat’ foods
o Preference for one type of texture
· Children who experience prolonged mealtime duration
o >30 mins at mealtimes, >2hrs a day spent trying to feed child
· Children who display battles/ problematic behaviour at mealtimes
· Families who experience stress related to their child’s eating patterns
Children with medically complex backgrounds
(Contact person: Meg O’Connor)
This arm of the HELP Study is currently able to accept children between 1 and 6 years of age with one of the following medical histories:
· Children born preterm (<37 weeks GA)
· Children with a history of gastrointestinal issues (e.g. reflux) that are currently well controlled from a medical perspective
· Children with a history of cardio-respiratory issues that are currently well controlled from a medical perspective
· Children with a history of cancer that are currently off treatment or in the maintenance phase of treatment
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
(Contact person: Jeanne Marshall)
This arm of the HELP Study is currently able to accept children between 1 and 6 years of age with a diagnosis (or pending diagnosis) of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Children without medically complex backgrounds
(Contact person: Jeanne Marshall)
This arm of the HELP Study is currently able to accept children between 1 and 6 years of age who present with a feeding difficulty and/or restricted oral intake but who also present with no significant medical conditions.
Note: Other arms of the study may open in the near future, pending funding.
Exclusion criteria:
As the HELP Study is comparing various types of child-focused outpatient behavioural feeding therapy, we are unable to accept children who meet the criteria below, as they would be unlikely to benefit from these forms of therapy:
· Children who are medically unstable:
o Acutely unwell/ unstable children
o Children who are nutritionally unstable (requiring current tube feeding), or children with gut malabsorption disorders
o Children with documented aspiration on any solid food textures (children on modified liquids will be accepted)
· Children with severe oral-motor difficulties that are structural or neurological in origin (e.g. children with moderate-severe cerebral palsy, children with Down syndrome, children with cranio-facial malformations)
Information for Participants