Interested in feeding therapy but not sure where to start? Many BCBAs assume you need a hospital job or years of specialized training—but that’s not the only path to becoming a feeding specialist. In this post, I break down the essential skills you need, practical ways to gain competence, and the biggest mistake new providers make when stepping into feeding therapy. If you're ready to build confidence in this niche, start here!
Read MoreYou’ve probably seen it—brands marketing bulldozer forks and Candyland-style plates to make mealtimes fun. But does playing with food actually help picky eaters try new foods? Research shows that while play can be a great tool, it doesn’t always translate to eating. In this post, we dive into what really works to help kids move from just interacting with food to actually tasting it!
Read MoreGetting kids to try new foods can feel like an uphill battle, but the secret to success might not be what’s on their plate—it’s how they think about it. Last summer, while teaching my daughter to ride her bike, I discovered how a growth mindset can turn resistance into momentum. In this post, I’m sharing the simple steps and mindset shifts that can make all the difference at mealtime. Small steps really do lead to big wins!
Read MoreThis is the place where I am sharing all of my favorite, can’t-live-without kitchen items for kids. This is the actual stuff you will find me using on a regular basis to feed my 2 and 5-year-olds.
Whether you’re looking for new ideas, stocking stuffers, or you just need a refresh, there’s sure to be something here for you!
Read MoreThe holiday season is upon us, and a number of festive holiday dinner opportunities are quickly approaching. Whether your family will be celebrating Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year, or another special holiday event, you may be wondering how to best plan to make this day special and inclusive for your neurodivergent picky eater. Today, let’s dive in and figure it out together!
Read MoreAre you trying to encourage your autistic child to try new foods? If so, a good place to start might be introducing new foods to your child in picture books.
Read MoreWant to introduce new foods to your child with autism or ARFID? Not sure what to offer that would actually lead to success with your very picky eater? Get food ideas for picky eaters, and learn how to come up with food swaps of your own to expand your picky eater’s diet.
Read MoreThe everything-you-need-to-know guide on Autism Feeding Therapy is here! You’ll learn what autism feeding therapy is, who it’s for, and an example of one child’s autism feeding therapy in action.
Read MoreFeeling like you are the only momma on the planet dealing with picky eating that is so extreme? Read this.
Read MorePack it up and hit the road for a summer trip with confidence! Use these 5 tips for planning a road trip with your ASD picky eater.
Read MoreIt’s not fancy, it’s not expensive, it’s not even that novel, but it is the one picky eater tool that I use and recommend for every, single ASD family that I work with. I’m not blowing smoke when I say that this is THE TOOL that I think every picky eater mom needs to have in her arsenal. It’s the thing as a feeding therapist that I would be lost without. Click the link to learn more!
Read MoreHere are the 8 tips you need to get ready for back to school lunches with your autism picky eater.
Read MoreWhen kids don’t sit down for mealtimes, they lose their focus on eating, and it can take them a long period of time to finish a meal. When this happens, parents often resort to leaving food out or available for long intervals of time. Unfortunately, extending mealtimes can be problematic for picky eaters. It takes the edge off of your honey’s appetite, it makes them fussier about coming to the table, and it really mucks with your efforts to help your kiddo try new foods. So, what can you do instead? I recommend teaching your honey to sit at the table for meals. Click the link to learn how.
Read MoreVery often, I meet parents of children with autism who tell me their honey’s favorite foods are cookies, crackers, and candy. They wonder how to expand their picky eater’s diet and how to get them to try new foods.
In fact, just the other day, a mom asked me: Is serving junk food better than serving no food? She went on to explain that junk food seems to be all her son will eat.
My answer: It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If your honey’s favorite foods are cookies crackers, and candy, and you’re looking for some ideas on how to expand your child’s diet, this blog post is for you.
Read MoreWish you could take the stress out of mealtimes? Wish you had a rule book for what to do as you sit down to this meal? Well, here’s the next best thing - my 8 things you can do to ease mealtime stress with your picky eater. I’ll cover what to say, how to start the meal off on the right foot, how to respond to behaviors you don’t like….and more.
Read MoreWe all know that using small rewards can have a big pay-off in motivating kids to learn and exercise new skills. I know so many families that used M&M’s to help teach toileting. In our house, Elmo songs helped us encourage hair washing (a dreaded reality of taking a bath!). I grew up earning a small allowance for doing household chores. …the applications are endless.
Read MoreWhen we ask kids to try new foods, we are asking them to do something fearful. We’re asking them to step out of their comfort zone and taste something they’ve never had. The experience could be bitter, sweet, sour, or otherwise. It could make them gag or cough. In order to make this leap of faith, your honey needs your vote of confidence-and more. Click here to learn 4 ways to help your child face their fears and experience the excitement and pride of trying new foods!
Read MoreTons of recipes all over the internet promise to hide veggies from your kiddo inside their favorite dishes. To be honest, sneaking in the good stuff sounds like the perfect idea. If all goes as planned, your kiddo will be chomping on a bunch of healthy goodness, none the wiser.
Tempting as it is, this is something I never do when prepping meals for clients, nor do I recommend that parents do so when they create meals for their child. Click to learn 3 reasons why I believe this well-meaning strategy is too risky for picky eaters, and what you can do instead. I’m laying out a step-by step plan that you can follow at dinner tonight.
As a feeding therapist, I have learned that it matters when kids drink milk or juice outside of mealtimes. These casual sips throughout the day can take the edge off of hunger making it hard for your kiddo to try new things. For some, these drinks between meals can even become a meal replacement. Learn 5 steps - including a mindset hurdle - to support your kiddo with shoring up those between meal drinks.Your honey will feel hungrier and more adventurous at the table.
Read MoreFood jags are a common problem among kids with picky eating and food refusal. They can occur for a variety of different reasons - and may even be tied to an underlying medical problem. Click to learn 3 strategies used by a behavioral expert and feeding therapist to prevent food jags. If your little honey is already on a jag, learn one bonus tip that can help your child reverse course.
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