How Can I Help My Picky Eater?

Problem Eater Or Picky Eater You’ve spent the last two hours preparing a delicious meal, if you do say so yourself.  You think that everything smells AMAZING. This gives you the confidence to put just a teensy amount of one of the dishes on your kiddo’s plate.  The next thing you know, there’s creamed spinach in your hair. What did you do wrong this time? Were you expecting too much from your picky eater?  Or maybe you think you actually have a problem eater on your hands. Problem Eater There’s quite a distinction between a picky eater and a problem eater.    It’s not unusual for most toddlers and preschoolers to go through phases of picky eating.  However, a problem eater will repeatedly struggle with eating certain foods and trying certain textures.  Problem eaters need more support and intervention. Also, kiddos have to get a professional diagnosis as problem eaters. Picky Eater This isn’t to say … Keep Reading…

How Does Hearing Affect Speech Development?

Can you hear me now?

 

No, I’m not talking about the old Verizon commercial here…

 

Such a simple question with such deep meaning when we think about language development.

Let me digress for a just a second…

Sometimes I have to step back and remind myself of all that I’m grateful for.

As I’m writing this, it’s November, and the holiday season for many of us is a chance for reflection and remembrance.

Yes, I’m grateful for my family and friends.

Yes, I’m grateful for my business and the clients I serve.

Yes, I’m grateful for shelter and transportation.

But I’m also grateful for a capable body that can move without assistance.

And I’m grateful for the ability to see and tell the difference between whether something is close to me or far away.

As I’m sitting here in a coffee shop listening to music on my headphones, I’m reminded that I am also grateful for the ability to hear clearly.

Through my headphones I can hear the barista clanging dishes and conversations at a nearby table. And I’m grateful for the ability to tune out background noise to focus on what’s important.

Hearing

Like any of our sensory systems, is important to monitor as our children develop, as it can affect so many other aspects of life.

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Does My Child Need a Feeding Therapist?

Goldfish.

Chicken nuggets.

French fries.

 

This was the diet of the majority of my students when I was a special education teacher.

I’m not talking sometimes they ate these things… or these were their favorite foods.

I’m talking, this is ALL they ate.

And some of them wouldn’t even allow other foods to come near their plate.

 

child sticking out tongue

Try to put a carrot near them… scream.

Stick an apple slice on their plate… head on the table crying.

Hand them a sandwich to eat… total meltdown.

 

It was frustrating and exhausting and perplexing to try to figure out what was going with these students and how we could help them expand their diet.

Trust me, we tried everything we could think of…

  • Praise and positive rewards for trying a new food
  • Sticker charts and token boards
  • Taking away preferred activities until they tried new foods
  • Coaxing, begging, pleading

All I remember thinking was, if they were hungry enough, they would eat.

If only it were that simple…

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