Hi. I wanted to share a technique I have used for years now, especially good with older kids. Food Clusters can be used in treatment. If you have a patient who has eaten only a few foods for many years it can be very challenging knowing how to start and teach a child about food. Eliot ate peanut butter and bread from age 18 m to 11 years, my latest patient has eaten primarily pasta noodles/one type of bread for years. So what can you do?
Well, say you have bread to work with. It is easier to expand this food as it isn't of a complex texture like fruit, vegetables and meats. So I did some clusters. My patient wanted to learn to eat pizza so socially that was very important. Thick crust pizza or breadsticks were in a similar cluster to his preferred hot bread. Aunt Annie's pretzels can be eaten out socially when a kid is at the mall with friends and is another cluster. Panera Bread bagels can also be targeted, biscuits at numerous fast food restaurants can be targeted and now, not only are you expanding breads, but you are expanding the places a child can go and eat with family and friends. Imagine how slow and how labor intensive it would be to only tackle one food at a time. Potato products...if you have French fries, yippee! Tackle fries at numerous restaurants and work in therapy or at home comparing potato chips, shoestring potato sticks, French fries, Tator Tots, potato wedges and baked potato, mashed potato or even scalloped or twice baked potatoes. Cook only a few on a baking stone, break them open, talk about how they all come from potatoes. If you can add Tator Tots from Sonic, potato wedges from Hardees and McDonald's Hash Browns you also have places a child can go socially and be successful. You have clustered a food group and you chain quickly this way.
Try this and see what happens. It is also a great way to desensitize to new tastes and reduce anxiety from a new food. Again, you are not pushing the child to eat, just tiny tastes or exploring with the senses in a fun way. This should not be scary or hard. If it is too much, you are pushing too hard. Keep that comfort zone. Make this exploration and make it fun.
Happy Chaining Everyone!!
Well, say you have bread to work with. It is easier to expand this food as it isn't of a complex texture like fruit, vegetables and meats. So I did some clusters. My patient wanted to learn to eat pizza so socially that was very important. Thick crust pizza or breadsticks were in a similar cluster to his preferred hot bread. Aunt Annie's pretzels can be eaten out socially when a kid is at the mall with friends and is another cluster. Panera Bread bagels can also be targeted, biscuits at numerous fast food restaurants can be targeted and now, not only are you expanding breads, but you are expanding the places a child can go and eat with family and friends. Imagine how slow and how labor intensive it would be to only tackle one food at a time. Potato products...if you have French fries, yippee! Tackle fries at numerous restaurants and work in therapy or at home comparing potato chips, shoestring potato sticks, French fries, Tator Tots, potato wedges and baked potato, mashed potato or even scalloped or twice baked potatoes. Cook only a few on a baking stone, break them open, talk about how they all come from potatoes. If you can add Tator Tots from Sonic, potato wedges from Hardees and McDonald's Hash Browns you also have places a child can go socially and be successful. You have clustered a food group and you chain quickly this way.
Try this and see what happens. It is also a great way to desensitize to new tastes and reduce anxiety from a new food. Again, you are not pushing the child to eat, just tiny tastes or exploring with the senses in a fun way. This should not be scary or hard. If it is too much, you are pushing too hard. Keep that comfort zone. Make this exploration and make it fun.
Happy Chaining Everyone!!