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Some
children are not good consumers of food! There can be several different reasons
for this picture of varied consumption. Some reasons for this include poor
digestion, food reactions or allergies, nutritional deficiencies, sensory
processing issues or oral motor problems. Picky eaters need structure,
opportunity and gentle prompting to expand their food repertoire. Problem
feeders frequently require some professional help to move through their food
difficulties &/or narrow food choices.
Listed
below are some features which can help distinguish picky eaters from problem
feeders.
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PICKY EATERS |
PROBLEM FEEDERS |
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Decreased range or variety of foods that will eat = 30 foods or more
Foods lost due to” burn out” because of a food jag are usually regained
after a 2 week break
Able to tolerate new foods on plate and usually can touch or taste a new
food (even if reluctantly)
Eats at least one food from most all food texture groups
Will add new foods to repertoire in 15-25 steps on Steps to Eating
Hierarchy
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Restricted range or variety of foods, usually less than 20 different
foods
Foods lost due to food jags are NOT re-acquired
Cries and “falls apart” when presented with new foods
Refuses entire categories of food textures
Adds new foods in more than 25 steps |
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