Food Refusal? Try Food Exploring!
We make judgements about food based on what it looks like, how it smells, how it feels in our hands, and whether we’ve eaten it—or something like it—before.
Now imagine that your sensory or motor system isn’t working optimally. You can’t be sure you’re going to be able to chew that food or move it around in your mouth. You’re afraid it will make you gag or choke. You have no idea what it will feel like in your mouth. Of course, you’re going to refuse to try to eat.
The fact is, food is variable. Those two apples on the counter may look similar but they may taste very different—or feel very different in your mouth. It’s hard to predict. That’s why fast food is so easily accepted by children with feeding disorders—it’s EXACTLY the same every time. No guesswork, no surprises.
So, what’s a feeding therapist to do?
Well, we can start by helping our clients create positive expectations about food through food exploration. In other words, let’s learn about the food BEFORE we put it in our mouth.
Here are seven tips to help with food exploration:
- Look at the food. What color is it? What shapes do you see? Does it look wet or dry? Does it look soft or crunchy?
- Touch the food. Does it feel bumpy or smooth? Do all parts of the food feel the same? Is it cold or warm? Were you right about how wet or dry it is? How do you think it will feel in your mouth?
- Smell the food. What do you smell? Does it smell like anything you’ve had before? Does it smell strong or not so strong?
- “Kiss” the food. How does it feel against your lips? Do you taste anything? Is it wet or dry? Bumpy? Smooth? Cold?
- Take a lick. Were you right about how it tastes? Do you taste sweet? Salty? Is it cold or warm in your mouth? Does it taste like anything you’ve had before?
- Hold it between your teeth. Is it soft or hard? What do you taste? Can you bite through it easily or is it hard to bite?
- Take a tiny “mouse” bite. Were you right about how it tastes? How it feels? Is it easy to chew?
Food is unpredictable (outside of McDonald’s that is!). Let’s try to make it less so by being good food explorers! For more tips, register for my upcoming Complex Feeding & Swallowing Problems in Children seminar here.
Angela Mansolillo, MA/CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a speech-language pathologist and board-certified specialist in swallowing disorders with more than 30 years of experience. She is a senior speech-language pathologist at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts where she provides evaluation and treatment services for adults and children with dysphagia and is involved in program planning and development including quality improvement initiatives, patient education, and clinical policies and protocols. She is also adjunct faculty at Elms College Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in Chicopee, Massachusetts and a guest lecturer in the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Massachusetts. Over the course of her career, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings with children and adult populations with a career-long focus on feeding and swallowing disorders. Recently, she authored Let’s Eat!: A Clinical Guide to the Management of Complex Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders. Angela is a recent recipient of the Massachusetts Speech and Hearing Association’s Award for Clinical Excellence and is a sought-after speaker for both live and online continuing education courses as she seamlessly blends current research with clinical experience.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Angela Mansolillo has an employment relationship with Elms College, the University of Massachusetts, and Cooley Dickinson Hospital. She is a consultant with Dysphagia Services and receives speaking honorarium from Medbridge, Colibri Group, HomeCEUconnection.com, speechpathology.com; occupationaltherapy.com, respiratorytherapy.com, earlychildhood.com and Continued. Angela Mansolillo receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Angela Mansolillo is a member of ASHA.
