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Resources for Children with Feeding Difficulties

June 29, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It can be overwhelming to have a child with feeding difficulties. They may have started from birth or developed over time. No matter when you began to deal with feeding challenges, the most important thing you can do is have support from other people who understand what your family is experiencing. Feeding can be a complex journey, including visiting many different doctors, going to feeding therapy, learning new ways to prepare meals, modifying diets…the list could go on. Fortunately, there are organizations out there which can help bring all the resources together. Some of these include:

FeedingMatters.org : Based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Feeding Matters provides many resources for families and feeding professionals, such as a provider directory, resource directory, community outreach programs, and seminars. They post great articles on Facebook as well.
MealtimeConnections.com : Based in Tucson, Arizona. Provides therapy services as well as many helpful articles for parents and professionals.
RaisingSpecialKids.org : Based in Arizona. Whether you have concerns for your child’s feeding, speech and language, sensory development, physical development, or behavior, I often refer families to Raising Special Kids. They provide resources to services and connections to other families who may be going through the same challenges. Their mission is to “improve the lives of children with the full range of disabilities, from birth to age 26, by providing support, training, information and individual assistance so families can become effective advocates for their children”.

~Kristina- Speech/ Feeding Team getty_rf_photo_of_school_children_eating_lunch

Proper Seating for Eating: Tips from a Pediatric Feeding Therapist

October 21, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Proper Seating for Eating: Tips from a Pediatric Feeding Therapist

Does your child graze around the table at mealtime? As a feeding therapist, I often come across children that refuse to eat at the table or sit in a high chair. The behavior that is most often reported during a feeding evaluation is that the child will sit for less than 3 minutes, get up from the table, walk around , play and come back from time to time to grab additional bites. Most of these children are not getting enough food, have very limited diets and are at risk for feeding difficulties.

Introducing new foods take time, especially if your child has feeding problems. If your child is only at the table for 3 minutes, you do not have the proper amount of time to explore the food with your child and they are less likely to give it a try. Additionally, children model the behavior of their parents. If they see you eating food at the table, they are more likely to try it.

In feeding therapy we often use special feeding chairs, high chairs or boosters. These chairs not only allow for proper support during feeding but significantly reduce the avoidance and escape behaviors that are seen when exploring new foods. If you notice that your child is grazing at mealtimes, I highly recommend getting different seating for them.

When you first introduce the new chair at home, spend time just playing at the table in the chair with their favorite toy or music. Make it fun before you try to introduce mealtime in the chair. We want this to be a positive experience. When children come into feeding therapy at the clinic, the majority of them climb up into the chair themselves and do not view it in a negative way because we spend the time initially making the chair something fun.

If you have questions about the proper chair for your child, please talk to your feeding therapist.

Jen, Feeding Therapist

Picky Eater vs. Problem Eater

February 18, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Picky Eater vs. Problem Eater

Parents often wonder if their child is a just a picky eater or if it’s something more that may require Feeding Threapy. Below are some basic characteristics of picky eaters versus problem eaters.

As always, if you have concerns, please contact your pediatrician so that he/she may decide if an evaluation for feeding therapy may be appropriate. Upon evaluation from a feeding therapist, it will be determined if your child would benefit from therapy, how often therapy would be recommended, and strategies to help safely increase food intake.

The following information is shared from the SOS Approach to Feeding website*.

What the picky eater may look like:

Decreased range or variety of foods, but will eat around 30 foods or more
Foods lost due to “burn out” because of a food jag; usually re-gains interest after a 2 week break
Able to tolerate new foods on plate and usually can touch or taste a new food (even if reluctantly)
Eats at least one food from most all food texture groups
Frequently eats a different set of foods than the rest of the family, but usually eats with the family
Sometimes reported by parent as a “picky eater” at well-child check-ups

What the problem eater may look like:

Restricted range or variety of foods, usually less than 20 different foods
Foods lost due to food jags are NOT re-acquired
Cries and “falls apart” when presented with new foods
Refuses entire categories of food textures
Almost always eats different foods than the family
Persistently reported by parent as a “picky eater” across multiple well-child check-ups

There is a multitude of reasons for why a child may be a problem feeder, ranging from aversions due to sensory processing, to having poor strength and coordination to physically be capable of chewing. Your feeding therapist will help to determine why a feeding disorder may be present and if feeding therapy would benefit your child.

~ Kristina, SLP

* Resources: http://www.sosapproach-conferences.com/articles/picky-eaters-vs-problem-feeders

Tips from a Feeding Therapist: How Reading Aids Feeding Therapy Goals

December 24, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Tips from a Feeding Therapist: How Reading Aids Feeding Therapy Goals

As a feeding therapist, I am often asked, “What can I do at home with my child to improve his/her eating skills?” One of the easiest and least intimidating ways that a parent can improve their child’s acceptance of food is to read to them and talk to them about foods that they are not yet eating.

Talking about food can be as simple as pointing out foods in the grocery store that your child with feeding difficulties has not yet tried. This allows your child to look at the food and have a non-threatening experience with it. The more your child is exposed to foods that are not familiar, the more likely they are to try it down the road in a feeding therapy session.

As a speech pathologist, as well as feeding therapist, I cannot stress enough the importance of taking a little time each night to read to your child. Reading stories to your child has endless benefits, including multiple opportunities to talk about food in many different ways. I have had many successful feeding therapy sessions involving relating food to a story. For example, I read the story Dragons Love Tacos to one of my feeding clients. I sent the book home with the child to read each night with her parents. The following week, we made tacos during our session and concluded our session by taking a “Dragon” bite of taco. This child now eats tacos as a part of her regular diet.

Below you will find a short list of books that I recommend for young children with feeding difficulties; this could mean anyone with a small feeding concern, to someone who is actively participating in in or out patient feeding therapy. You can find most of these books at your public library. Another option is to look for videos of these books on YouTube. Some children find it easier to watch a video instead of sitting for a book. Keep in mind, there are many additional websites that incorporate videos/books/animation for kids. A good example of a website like this is: www.wegivebooks.com, a nonprofit website that provides users access to FREE children’s books online that show full pictures, read along words, etc.

By talking and reading to your child about food, you are increasing your child’s positive interactions with new foods and thereby likely to decrease the amount of time needed in feeding therapy.

Books I suggest for children with Feeding Difficulties:

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

The Little Mouse the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Gregory the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Shermat

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child

Pizza at Sally’s by Monica Wellington

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban

Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

We hope you find this information useful. Please send us an email or give us a call if you have any further questions.

Jennifer -Speech Language Pathologist/Feeding Therapist

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