Occupational Therapy Program Seeks to Cure Picky Eaters

A newly initiated pilot program by the College of Health and Human Services called Finicky Feeders aims to pair occupational therapists with families in an attempt to help selective eaters.

Finicky Feeders was originally intended for children with sensory processing problem or for children who have an intense sensitivity to certain stimuli, such as texture or smell. There are a wide range of causes for a finicky feeder, according to Professor Michelle Suarez, head of Finicky Feeders.

“Around 40 to 70 percent of kids with autism have some sort of food selectivity issue. They have a hard time eating a variety of foods, but that’s not unusual for this diagnosis. It’s kind of a mix, kids with sensory sensitivity problems and kids with autism,” said Suarez.

The population itself is kept small, with only five families and their children aged 2 through 8 participating in the pilot run of the program. Sessions are one hour of group work, designed to help a finicky feeder learn how to deal with foods they can’t stand normally, Suarez said.

Finicky Feeders incorporates a form of systematic desensitization with the children participating in the program. First, the children must tolerate being exposed to the food. Then the children are asked to play with the food, kiss the food, lick the food, and finally occupational therapists encourage the children to take a bite, said Suarez.

Finicky Feeders not only helps kids eat new foods, but also serves as a level one fieldwork requirement for students in the Occupational Therapy program here at Western Michigan University. The program is currently handled by seven occupational therapy students, one interdisciplinary health services student, and two independent study students.

“Students are the ones that are basically running the finicky feeders group. They have been required to learn about treatment techniques, and we’re trying to give them lots of support in order to be successful. They’re going to be in charge, running the clinics with supervision at this point,” said Suarez.

The program is not only a valid commodity for its dutifully employed students, but for the families enrolled in the program.

“So far, it’s been running very smoothly. We have some kids that have difficulty sitting next to somebody at lunchtime that was eating yogurt, and in our clinic they were able to try some yogurt for the first time. We’ve been seeing some improvements,” said Suarez on the subject of the program.

(Source: westernherald.com)