Just take a bite ...
Eating challenges are not as simple as they may first appear. When I am asked to come out and consult on a child who is having difficulty eating I have learned not to assume anything. My first visit is usually one of questions and answers. It is important to know what the history is with the child who doesn't want to eat. What is the families background, heritage, meal time beliefs and rituals... these all play a part in figuring out the past plan to help a child who is a picky eater. Being in the OT profession we have all been told at one time or another that it is important not to just look at the "problem" but to look at the big picture - the "whole" picture. Some things to be aware of when looking at the "whole" picture would be:
- Is the child on the Autism Spectrum
- Does the child have a medical condition that is making it difficult for tem to eat (reflux, poor oral motor processing skills, low or high muscle tone, poor vision, etc)
- Does the child's parents come from a background that is establishing difficult meal time rules to follow (many parents who grew up poor or had parents that had food rations in their childhood, are taught that they *must* clear everything off their plate regardless of what it is they are being asked to eat).
- Are there sensory issues involved (over or under sensitive to taste, texture, etc)
- How often is the child eating & drinking throughout the day
- How much food & fluids are being given at each meal/snack time
- What does the meal time routine consist of
Throughout the month of November I am going to address the above bullet points and offer some suggestions and techniques to help the children who are having a difficult time with eating and self-feeding skills. I welcome any suggestions, concerns, feedback you have to offer. Are there techniques that you use that have been successful and what pediatric population were they successful with (ASD, CP, MD, developmental delays, etc)? Is there a technique that you have heard about that you would like more information on? Is there a class that you have attended or someone you know has attended that has proven to be very useful? Together we can find the strategies and techniques that will help.
"I once heard a story about a visit to heaven and hell. In both places the visitor saw many people seated at a table on which many delicious foods were laid out. In both places chopsticks over a meter long were tied to their right hands, while their left hands were tied to their chairs.
In hell, however much they stretched out their arms, the chopsticks were too long for them to get food into their mouths. They grew impatient and got their hands and chopsticks tangled with one another's. The delicacies were scattered here and there.
In heaven, on the other hand, people happily used the long chopsticks to pick out someone else's favorite food and feed it to him, and in turn they were being fed by others. They all enjoyed their meal in harmony."
~Shundo Aoyama~