Welcome to “On the Horizon”
Issue 79: Food Jags: What are They and How do you Prevent Them?
On the Horizon is an award winning weekly ezine for parents of children with developmental disabilities who want simple, effective strategies to reduce stress, support their child’s development, and improve quality of life for the whole family.
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Resources for Feeding Issues
 A Note from Nicole: Sunny LA
Idea of the Week: Muffin Tin Crayons
Feature Article: Food Jags: What are They and How do you Prevent Them?
The Horizons Team Recommends: Raising Minds®; Explorations in Eating Audio Program, Calendar and Journal Set
Upcoming Events: CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar; West Michigan Sensory Awareness Event
Hi Everyone!
I enjoyed a few days in sunny Los Angeles this past weekend for some meetings. The highlight of the trip was having dinner with one of my best friends from high school, whom I hadn’t seen in 15 years. It was wonderful to reconnect in person, and it never ceases to amaze me how some relationships just seem to pick up where they left off regardless of how much time has passed. My friend has a young son who was recently diagnosed with autism, so I was able to help her understand what needs to happen for him and their family now and over the long-term. I am so blessed to be able to share the real hope and results that working on remediation of autism through CORE Approach provides, especially to someone important in my life. You can find more information about CORE Approach and remediation by clicking here.
This week’s feature article is about food jags and how to prevent them. If your child has a tendency to fixate on one specific food for a while, and then completely drops it from his or her diet, then you are dealing with food jags. Any parent or professional dealing with children who have feeding difficulties needs to understand this information. Pass it along to those you know who can benefit it.
If you haven’t yet checked out the new Raising Minds® site we’ve put together, do it now. Come join the hundreds of members already benefiting from the comprehensive guidance and information on the site!
Have a wonderful week!
Looking to the horizon,
Muffin Tin Crayons
Do you have old broken crayons lying around your house and no one wants to use them? Here is a great, easy craft to use with them. Take a muffin tin and put about ¼ teaspoon of vegetable oil in each cup – then fill each cup with broken bits of crayon about 1/3 of the way full. Use a variety of colors so that your new crayon will be extra colorful! Make sure that the crayons you put in don’t have any paper around them. Then put the muffin tin in the oven at 275 degrees for about 8 minutes – the crayons melt quickly so make sure you are watching them! When they begin to melt take them out of the oven and stir them with a toothpick and let them cool completely. When they are cooled just tap the bottom side and they should pop right out. Enjoy your new crayons!
Food Jags: What are They and How do you Prevent Them?
By: Erin Roon, MA CCC-SLP
What is a food jag? Children with feeding difficulties tend to eat the same foods every day, even at every meal. Typically they require that the foods be prepared in the same way each time. For example, your child may only eat a hot dog for lunch every day. S/he will only eat the hot dog if it is a specific brand, boiled on the stove, and put on the plate with the ketchup (specific brand) not touching it. This example demonstrates a “food jag.”
So what is the big deal if my child eats the same thing every day for lunch? The biggest problem with food jags is that eventually your child will become bored or burned out on his/her preferred foods. Once a child with feeding difficulties neglects to eat a preferred food, it is usually lost from his/her food repertoire for good. The practice of eliminating foods from his/her diet may then continue until there are only a handful of foods left to him/her.
How can you prevent a food jag from beginning in the first place?
- Do not offer the same foods every day. Try to offer each food only a few times per week or less.
- Make variations in the foods you serve.
- Try serving different brands of the same foods (e.g., crackers, cereal, pudding, etc.).
- Try different flavors of the same food (e.g., chocolate instead of vanilla pudding).
Discover a Source of Information
and Support for Parents Just Like You!
Imagine for a moment what your life would be like if you knew how to
identify and address the biggest obstacles facing your child. I’m
talking about the core issues that create difficulties for your child,
for you, for your family, and for anyone else involved in your child’s
life. What would it be like if you could help your child learn to:
- Attend to the right things at the right time
- Thoughtfully communicate—not just talk in memorized or mechanical ways
- Be genuinely interested in the emotions, ideas, and actions of others
- Take responsibility for actions
- Flexibly adapt to change
- Understand the intentions of others
- Come up with creative ideas and solutions
- Have meaningful conversations
- Develop curiosity about other people, events, and things in the environment
- Be self-aware—know who s/he is as a person and how s/he is being perceived by others
The information available at Raising Minds® will help you understand exactly what deficit areas require treatment and how to accomplish that, while lowering your stress in the process.
Now, just imagine the peace you will bring to yourself and your
family, not to mention the results you’ll create for your child, when
you have 24/7 access to the information, resources, and motivation you
need to understand your child’s needs and powerfully impact his/her
development.
For more information, click here
Explorations in Eating Audio Program, Calendar and Journal Set
Making Eating an Adventure and Expanding Your Child’s Food Preferences.
If your child is a picky eater or has feeding issues, mealtimes can feel like a battle zone. Try to introduce a new food and you’re surely buying a front row seat to a meltdown. His limited diet makes it difficult to enjoy a meal out or eat at friends and relatives’ homes. And you can’t help but worry about the impact such a limited diet will have on his health and development.
But there is hope. Over the years we’ve found that if a child has the opportunity to explore new foods in a non-threatening and playful way, she will eventually taste it—and often, ends up liking it. So, we’ve created a few easy-to-use tools to help you follow the same process at home.
Discover how to start broadening your child’s food preferences by ordering your Explorations in Eating Audio program, Calendar, and Journal Set for just $49.95 today!
For more information, click here
Please join us!
- CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar: Q&A with Michelle & Courtney
(Horizons Families Only)
Monday, October 5, 2009 from 1:30-2:30pm EST
- CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar: Using Food for Oral Motor Therapy – Erin Roon guest speaker
(Horizons Families Only)
Thursday, October 15, 2009 from 11-12pm EST
- Horizons Family Fun Event:
(Horizons Families Only)
Klackle Orchard in Greenville, MI – apples, pumpkins, hayrides, and more!
Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 9:30am – 12:00pm
- West Michigan Sensory Awareness Event:
Open to everyone!
Showing of the movie “Autistic Like” to raise awareness of Sensory Processing Disorder and share information about how Horizons can help those with sensory issues.
Saturday, October 24, 2009 10am EST at Horizons – call 616-698-0306 or email betsy@horizonsdrc.com for tickets
- Workshop – Evaluating for Autism:The
Nuts and Bolts of Quality School-Based Autism Spectrum Disorder
Evaluations
Thursday, October 29, 2009
- Sibshop
– Horizons Sibling Network
Open to everyone!
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST
- Horizons Parent Education Day
(Horizons Families Only)
Topic: Remediation-Friendly Treatments for Feeding Problems and Sensory Processing Disorders Saturday November 14, 2009 from 10am-4pm
- Workshop – Autism in the Classroom: Simple &
Effective Strategies to Learn Today and Use Tomorrow
Friday, November 20, 2009
- Workshop – Day
of Change: A
Groundbreaking Workshop for Parents of Children with Autism and Other
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Saturday, November 21, 2009
- Workshop – Evaluating for Autism: The
Nuts and Bolts of Quality School-Based Autism Spectrum Disorder
Evaluations
Thursday, Feburary 11, 2009
- Workshop – Autism in the Classroom: Simple &
Effective Strategies to Learn Today and Use Tomorrow
Friday, March 12, 2009
- Workshop – Day
of Change: A
Groundbreaking Workshop for Parents of Children with Autism and Other
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Saturday, March 13, 2009
- Extreme
Makeover: Autism Education Edition
August
4-6, 2010
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