Mealtime Mastery FEEDING THERAPY AND THE FAMILY MEAL Calling all families who struggle with mealtimes at home! Is it a fight to get your child to eat a variety of foods and textures? Are you worried your child might not be consuming enough for proper nutrition or growth? Want to get your child off liquid meals like milk or Pediasure? We are here to help! The Stewart Center at The Westview School recently began offering Feeding Therapy. Here are a few tips from our Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) trained feeding therapists to try at home.
LET’S EAT TOGETHER Creating a Family Meal routine is a wonderful place to start. Frequent family meals decrease disordered eating, alcohol and substance use, violent behavior, and feelings of depression or thoughts of suicide in adolescents, according to Harrison et al. 2015, a systematic review. They can also increase self-esteem and school success. According to Dr. Kay Toomey’s SOS method, begin Family Meals by giving an advanced alert to your child and other family members, such as, “We will be eating in 5 minutes.” After the five minutes, support the child’s transition to a sink and say, “It’s time to wash hands now.” These cues can help the child get into a mealtime routine without increasing anxiety around food.
Our Time to Shine | Winter 2024
CARLIE KRUEGER, MS, CCC-SLP
LOREN STASTNY, MA, CCC-SLP
While washing hands, change the soap, water temperature, and washcloth or sponge every other day to encourage sensory preparation and exploration.
A PERFECT SEATING SETUP Next, have your child sit at the table. Check to ensure the child’s feet are making full contact with the floor or a footrest so that the core is activated and postural stability is supported. Think about how uncomfortable it is to sit on a barstool without a foot rail. This is what it is like for children if their feet are dangling in their highchair or kitchen seat. We like to use the 90-90-90 position while eating. This means that the ankles, knees, and hips are all at 90 degrees when sitting for maximum comfort and physical support.
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