Growth and Development of Children
For parents and guardians, there is no higher priority than the growth and development of children. The way children and young people grow and develop is heavily influenced by their diet, nutritional status and weight gain. Early intervention in dietitian and nutrition, has the ability to provide ongoing interventions to adapt to meet the nutritional needs of young people at different stages of development.
As children grow, their nutritional requirements change. One example of this is iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in Australian children. Iron deficiency contributes to behavioural changes and gastrointestinal complaints and is often a result of children consuming large quantities of milk. As children grow, the reliance on certain energy sources changes, in this example, toddlers begin to require less milk than in infancy and often this is overlooked.
Alongside this, early intervention can improve the outcomes of nutrition related conditions such as;
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Behavioural conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Food allergies such as peanuts, milk, soy, egg
Food intolerances such as lactose
Coeliac disease
Nutritional deficiencies such as iron
Fussy eaters
General healthy eating (weight management)
The Allied Health Team provides paediatric dietetic services which can provide the necessary and ongoing support and education required to ensure adequate nutrition is achieved throughout all stages of life. I’m a mother of two and both children have provided their own challenges from birth to 6yrs. I have first hand experience in dealing with fussy eating, failure to thrive, iron deficiency and eating with ASD (including challenges around textures and food fear). If you have any concerns around your child’s growth, feeding, weight or behaviour, it is important to seek dietary support to ensure your child is healthy and achieving adequate nutrition.