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Early Childhood Intervention
This website is a place for families who are facing
challenges pertaining to their child's development and
growth.
It is a place to find answers and practical
suggestions. That's what Early Intervention Support is all
about.
Whether a family has a child with a challenging behavior,
a disability or developmental issue, childhood is short - it
should be savored and enjoyed.
Learn More:
Ask a Therapist
We understand developmental milestones and the challenges
of Special Needs children. We spend a great deal of time
with families understanding the inner workings of childhood
routines and interactions. Ask us about your child today!
Ask a Therapist
Tips to Improve Your Child's Eating:
General Ways to Improve Your Child's Eating:
- Establish a daily schedule for your family
- Set consistent times for meals and snacks
- Do not allow eating between scheduled meals and snacks
- Limit liquid intake between meals and snacks to water only
- Limit juice and milk intake during meals and snacks
- Offer a drink only after a child has begun to eat
- Plan ahead of time what the meal will be
- Decide how long a meal or snack will last (typically around 30
minutes for meals and 15-20 minutes for snacks, varies depending on age
of child and ability)
- Offer new foods often and repeatedly (a child may need 10-20
exposures before they will eat a new food)
- Serve food in age-appropriate portion sizes
- Serve meals and snacks at the table when the child is seated
- Model good eating behavior for your child by eating a variety of
types and textures of foods
- Ignore minor age consistent behaviors such as occasionally throwing
food on the floor, spilling, messiness or banging utensils.
- Make mealtimes POSTIVE!!! This is VERY important. Patterns of
bribing, coaxing or yelling during meals only decreases food intake and
leads to more difficulty with eating.
- Encourage self-feeding when a child is ready even though an adult
feeding the child may be less messy or require less time.
Does Your Child Have a Feeding Problem?
For Parents: If you think your child has a feeding problem, review the
questions below and try to keep a record of the following items so that you
can accurately report your concerns to your physician and/or therapy team:
- What foods does your child eat? Keep a food diary and record all the
foods and liquids that your child eats/drinks for a week.
- Does your child have food preferences? Look at your food diary to
see if your child eats only foods from a certain food group (ie dairy or
fruit) or of a certain type or texture (ie pureed, cold, crunchy, etc)
- How closely does your child's diet match your family diet?
- How much does your child eat?
- How much does your child drink?
- What is your child's meal/snack schedule?
- How does your child react to new foods you present?
- How do you present the food to your child?
- Where does your child eat meals and snacks?
- Does your child insist on using on one type of dish, cup or utensil?
- How long does your child take to eat a meal/snack?
- Describe your child's typical behavior during meal/snack time
Sources include: Autism and Feeding Problems by Elizabeth Strickland, RD,
LD; Pediatric Feeding Disorders by Kyong-Mee Chung and Sung Woo Khang;
Treating Eating Problems of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and
Developmental Delays by Keith E. Williams and Richard M. Foxx
Parenting Tips in Other Areas IncludeLearn More About Early InterventionTherapy OptionsThankfully, there are many ways to deal with childhood developmental
delays and behaviors. These include in-home services, outpatient (you take
your child to a clinic), inpatient (following injury or surgery) and school
based services. Which type of therapy should you choose? Visit our Therapy Options
area to learn more. Return to Top
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