- Help the child understand hunger cues or the sensation of hunger and associate this with the act of eating through the use of concrete language and a predictable chain of events. (You know your child is hungry – so you model “I am hungry”, then get a small snack and go to the table to eat it. Then ask the child, “Are you hungry?” “Would you like a snack?” Avoid snacking throughout the day since this impedes the ability to feel a hunger sensation as well as the association of eating with meal time/table time.
- Find the foods the child is comfortable eating and gradually associate those with foods in the same flavor and texture family to expand the food repertoire.(A child likes apple sauce, so use pears in the food processor – or if a child likes cheerios, add another similar shaped cereal)
- Schedule meal and snack times to help them associate hunger with eating in a structured routine. Consistency and structure is especially important for children on the autism spectrum. Some kids respond well to picture schedules, choice boards, or other visual cues.
- For individuals on the autism spectrum, change can be very distressing. Change in meal time routines can lead to complete food refusal. With change, these kids often respond more positively when started with finger feeding so they can receive sensory input about the texture of the bite of food before placing it in their mouth. Sometimes the baby steps of touching, playing with, smelling and licking before actually chewing are important steps for accepting new foods.
- Sometimes with children on the spectrum, the initial goal has to be simply sitting in a chair at the table, in which case positive reinforcement strategies would be the way to start. (you can do other activities at the table, using tangible reinforcers or praise for finishing a task). After several successful sessions, add a desired snack at the end of this time.Anne Bramlett, MS, CCC/SLP
Comments (0)