ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses assessment of dietary intake and feeding ability in children with ARFID, focussing on the importance of obtaining accurate information about current intake, feeding history, swallow difficulties, and oral motor function. Dietary intake and eating ability are inextricably linked and therefore combined in this chapter to demonstrate the importance of assessing these aspects of feeding and eating alongside each other rather than separately. The chapter includes guidance for determining the adequacy of the intake to meet a child’s nutritional and energy requirements and to sustain growth. Assessment of the child’s ability to eat, typical development of feeding and eating skills, and factors that may interrupt a child’s progression through the usual stages of feeding development, are discussed. Common myths about eating skills and abilities are dispelled and the importance of attention to areas of potential risk highlighted.
