Oral Aversion and Feeding Challenges
Feeding difficulty....oral aversion...a picky eater...oral sensory defensiveness...feeding issues...feeding disorder...
All of these terms basically mean the same thing, and need to be approached the same way in order to get to the root of the problem. Picky eaters and sensory differences go hand in hand. In the case of the picky eater, the brain and nervous system are over-registering/over-responding to one or more of the senses involved with eating. The oral sensory system involves three basic senses....tactile, olfactory, and gustatory (texture, smell, and taste). The visual and auditory senses are also components which need to be considered for a child who demonstrates sensory over-registration. Any of the above senses can create a very uncomfortable and unpleasant eating experience for a child and often triggers a fight or flight response by the nervous system on a regular basis. Also, if at any time the child was forced or bribed to try something new, and the reaction was negative and an overall bad experience, the brain will remember this for a LONG time and find most food experiences to be a threat.
All of these terms basically mean the same thing, and need to be approached the same way in order to get to the root of the problem. Picky eaters and sensory differences go hand in hand. In the case of the picky eater, the brain and nervous system are over-registering/over-responding to one or more of the senses involved with eating. The oral sensory system involves three basic senses....tactile, olfactory, and gustatory (texture, smell, and taste). The visual and auditory senses are also components which need to be considered for a child who demonstrates sensory over-registration. Any of the above senses can create a very uncomfortable and unpleasant eating experience for a child and often triggers a fight or flight response by the nervous system on a regular basis. Also, if at any time the child was forced or bribed to try something new, and the reaction was negative and an overall bad experience, the brain will remember this for a LONG time and find most food experiences to be a threat.
Top 10 Tips for Helping a Picky Eater
- Do not force a child to eat anything. Do not insist on having the child touch it or put it in their mouth. Do not bribe with a reward or insist that they take just one bite, this will only back fire on the nervous system in the long run.
- Respect that trying new foods is a multi-sensory experience and that the smell and look of the food may be overwhelming in itself...never mind putting it in the mouth to experience the taste and texture of it all.
- If the child is having an "off" sensory day, then expect the food choices to be even that much more limited...it's ok, each day may be different.
- Try not to talk about food all of the time. It is hard enough for the child as it is. Our society is so preoccupied with food and the child is constantly bombarded with food choices and experiences...all day long.
- If your child has a few balanced food choices, then let it be and let the food choices expand naturally (with a sensory enriched life of course to work on the sensory foundation and sensory processing).
- Offer daily opportunities to play and interact with food, yet in a fun and exploring kind of way. Refrain from even suggesting to "try it" or "taste it". Let it happen naturally.
- Offer daily sensory activities involving the power sensations.
- Offer daily tactile experiences, since the oral sensory system is a part of the overall tactile system.
- Right before mealtime prep the nervous system and brain by 15 minutes of vestibular and proprioceptive play.
- Prep the oral structures by offering gum or an oral sensory tool prior to mealtime and offer an opportunity for resistive sucking or blowing, such as a bubble mountain.