NDIS Dietitian and Nutritionist in Craigieburn
NDIS Services at You Belong Care
- Assist Travel Transport
- Daily Living Life Skills
- Daily Personal Activities
- Group Activities
- Household Tasks
- Innovative Community Participation
- Supported Independent Living
- Life Stage Transition
- Community Participation
- High-Intensity Daily Personal Activities
- NDIS Support Worker
- Community Nursing Care
- Respite Care
- Therapeutic Supports
- NDIS Dietitian & Nutritionist
- Youth Mentoring
- Disability Accommodation
- SIL Vacancies
- NDIS Worker Screening Check
Nutrition for NDIS participants is not just about healthy eating. It can be about the mechanics of swallowing safely, the calculation of tube-feeding regimes, the specific nutritional needs of someone on multiple medications, or the pragmatics of eating when a disability makes cooking impossible. It is clinical work, not lifestyle advice.
You Belong Care coordinates Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) for NDIS participants across Craigieburn and surrounding suburbs. Home visits, clinic consultations, and coordination with support workers and community nurses where needed.
What Our Dietitians Do
- Texture-modified diets — IDDSI framework, dysphagia-safe meal plans
- Enteral feeding (PEG, PEJ, NG) — regime design, formula selection, monitoring
- Diabetes management — carbohydrate counting, meal planning, education
- Weight management — underweight and overweight, tailored to disability context
- Food allergies and intolerances — management plans, label reading education
- Constipation and bowel management — dietary component of chronic constipation
- Behaviour-driven eating issues (ARFID, selective eating in autism)
- Nutrient deficiency management (iron, B12, vitamin D, calcium)
- Mealtime management plans for support workers and family carers
Dietitian vs Nutritionist — What You Need
People use the words interchangeably. They are not the same.
| Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) | Nutritionist |
|---|---|
| AHPRA-registered (via Dietitians Australia) | Not regulated — anyone can call themselves a nutritionist |
| Bachelor or Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics | Training varies widely — certificate to degree |
| Can deliver Medical Nutrition Therapy — tube feeding, texture modification, eating disorders | Can give general dietary advice but not clinical intervention |
| Recognised by NDIS for clinical work | May not be recognised for clinical NDIS funding |
| Our team uses APDs for clinical work | Nutritionists may be used for education and lifestyle topics only |
For most NDIS clinical work (dysphagia, PEG feeding, complex dietary management), you need an APD. We use APDs across our dietetics team.
exture-Modified Diets and Dysphagia
Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) is common in participants with cerebral palsy, stroke, dementia, acquired brain injury, motor neurone disease and some neurological conditions. It is also dangerous — unsafe swallowing leads to aspiration pneumonia, which is a leading cause of hospitalisation and death in this group.
Our dietitians work to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework, which defines eight textures from thin liquids to regular foods. The right texture for a participant is set by speech pathology assessment and dietitian implementation.
Our dysphagia work includes:
- IDDSI-compliant meal plans for each participant
- Training for support workers and family in safe food preparation
- Nutritional adequacy checks — texture-modified diets often become calorie-poor
- Thickener education for drinks — different brands, different textures
- Coordination with speech pathology on swallow assessment findings
- Review every 3-6 months — swallow function can change
PEG, PEJ and Enteral Feeding
For participants who receive some or all of their nutrition via feeding tube, the dietitian designs the feeding regime. This is specialised work — the wrong formula or rate causes diarrhoea, constipation, blood sugar swings, nutritional deficiency or tube blockage.
We cover:
- Formula selection based on age, weight, condition, tolerance
- Feeding schedule — bolus, continuous, overnight
- Rate calculations and gradual increases (especially during tube initiation)
- Hydration planning — water flushes, free water requirements
- Transition to oral intake where possible
- Troubleshooting — intolerance, reflux, aspiration risk, blockage prevention
- Coordination with community nursing care and HIDPA workers who deliver the feeds
Diabetes and Carbohydrate Management
Diabetes is common in NDIS participants, especially alongside intellectual disability and some genetic conditions. Poor diabetes management leads to hospitalisation, amputation risk and early death. Good management makes these outcomes far less likely.
Dietitian-led diabetes work:
- Carbohydrate counting and portion guidance
- Meal plans aligned with insulin regime
- Hypoglycaemia awareness and prevention
- Weight management without triggering restrictive eating
- Education for support workers on carbohydrate content of common foods
- Cultural food integration — rice, bread, pasta in appropriate portions for the participant’s background
Weight Management
Both underweight and overweight are common issues in NDIS participants, and both require tailored approaches.
Underweight participants
Common in participants with cerebral palsy, dysphagia, chronic illness, mental health conditions affecting appetite. Focus is on increasing calorie density and palatability while meeting nutritional needs.
Overweight participants
Common in participants with limited mobility, certain genetic conditions (Prader-Willi), intellectual disability, and psychiatric medications that increase weight. Approach is slow, sustainable, realistic — crash diets do not work and are often unsafe.
Weight plans never use restrictive language. We work with what the participant actually eats and enjoys, and adjust gradually.
Autism and Selective Eating
Selective eating (sometimes called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder or ARFID) affects many autistic participants. Food textures, smells, temperatures, brands or colours trigger refusal. Standard “just eat more variety” advice is useless.
Our approach for selective eaters:
- Assessment of current safe foods and nutritional adequacy
- Supplementation where key nutrients are missing
- Slow food exposure work, where relevant (often with psychology input)
- Family and carer education — what to push, what to accept
- Avoiding pressure-based approaches that often backfire with autistic participants
How Dietetic Consultations Work
- Initial consultation (60-90 minutes at your home or clinic). The dietitian takes history, discusses current eating patterns, reviews medical history.
- Care plan development — may involve a diet diary over 3-5 days between sessions.
- Follow-up consultation to review and refine the plan, with written materials participant or family can use.
- Review visits every 4-8 weeks initially, then 3-6 monthly once stable.
- Written plan shared with support workers, family and other providers so implementation is consistent.
Home visits are often more useful than clinic visits because the dietitian can see what is in the fridge, how meals are prepared, who does the cooking, and the environment in which food is eaten. A lot of dietary issues become clear from the home context.
Funding Under Therapeutic Supports
Dietetic services are funded under Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living, alongside OT, physio, speech and psychology. Typical allocations:
- General participants with nutrition goals: 4-10 hours per year
- Participants with dysphagia or enteral feeding: 15-30 hours per year
- Participants with complex mixed needs (diabetes + swallowing + weight): 20-40 hours per year
Home visit travel time is partially funded at NDIS Price Guide rates.
Book a Dietetics Consultation
Tell us what you are working on — specific clinical issue or general nutrition goals. We match you with the right dietitian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NDIS cover dietitian services?
Yes. NDIS funds dietetics under Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living, alongside other therapeutic supports. The amount of funding depends on your plan and the goals it covers.
What is the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?
Dietitians (specifically Accredited Practising Dietitians) are AHPRA-regulated and can deliver clinical nutrition therapy including tube feeding and texture modification. Nutritionists are not regulated and focus on general healthy eating. For NDIS clinical work, we use APDs.
Can the dietitian visit me at home?
Yes. Home visits are often the most useful format. The dietitian can see what is in your fridge, the kitchen setup, and who cooks — all of which inform good dietary advice.
Can you help with PEG feeding regimes?
Yes. Enteral feeding (PEG, PEJ, nasogastric) is a core dietetics skill. We design the regime, select the formula, calculate rates, monitor tolerance and coordinate with nurses and support workers who deliver the feeds.
What if I have dysphagia and need texture-modified meals?
The dietitian works to IDDSI framework (the international standard for texture modification). We develop safe meal plans at the level prescribed by speech pathology, train support workers in food preparation, and monitor nutritional adequacy.
Can you help with weight loss?
Yes, but we use slow, sustainable approaches tailored to the participant’s situation. Crash diets do not work, and some participants have medications or conditions that make weight loss particularly difficult. Realistic planning.
Do you see children?
For participants under 18 we refer to paediatric dietitians who specialise in this work. Adult participants are our core cohort.
What happens between consultations?
The written plan tells support workers and family what to do day-to-day. The dietitian is available for questions between sessions.
How long is a typical engagement?
Varies. Some participants need 3-5 sessions to solve a specific issue. Others need ongoing monitoring (every 3-6 months) for complex conditions like dysphagia or enteral feeding.
How do I start?
Call or email. We book an initial consultation within 2-3 weeks, usually at your home.