a good fit

The typical child or adolescent who enters our program has been having issues with selective eating for quite some time. We generally see children as young as 7 years and teenagers under the age of 18. College students and their parents may also request to attend this program.

As a family, you have likely tried some things to change your child’s eating habits. Some families have tried feeding programs or other clinics without success. Some families have tried to help their children on their own, and given up out of shared frustration. Some families have been unsure about what to do and have been dealing with their child’s selective eating in the best way they know how.

Families come to our program with many different presentations, but there are some that are more common:

Some parents report they knew their child was different from the time they brought them home from the hospital. Children who suffered from acid reflux as infants might be among this group.
Some parents report their child ate “just fine” until they began introducing solid foods or table foods.
Some parents tell us their toddlers were eating all kinds of various tastes and textures and then one day, seemingly without warning, this all stopped.
Some children might have experienced a traumatic event while eating and became increasingly selective following this event.
Some parents tell us they are confused by their child’s sensitivity because something they refuse to eat one day, they might consider on another day. There might be other seeming “inconsistencies” among these children that confuse parents.
Some children have very sensitive “gag” reflexes and fear vomiting.
Some children have severe food allergies and have either had, or are very fearful of having, an allergic reaction. Sometimes these children are fearful of many types of foods, even ones to which they have no known allergies.
Some children have a combination of sensory sensitivities (to smells, textures, etc.), and some do not.

Children who come into our program also vary in the types of foods they eat; however, their common feature is a refusal to eat a variety of food.

Some children are limited to 10 or fewer foods they will consume regularly. Others may consume a greater variety of foods but still avoid complete categories of food.
Some children have entire categories of food they will not eat i.e. vegetables, fruits, meats, or even breads and pasta.
Some children are very particular about specific brands of foods, and will not eat different brands of even their preferred foods i.e. one brand of peanut butter, one type of cracker.
Some children might also be particular about the “look” of their food i.e. only round pizza, no broken crackers, no pancakes with dark brown colors.

If anyone on our team has concerns about your child being inappropriate for our program, we will discuss this with you and explain our reasoning. In addition, all children must be medically cleared by our team Pediatrician before they can be scheduled to take part in our program.

If any of these descriptions sound like we are talking about your child, it is likely that your child will be a good match for our program. Keep in mind, all families complete a detailed Intake Screening after they are scheduled for the program.