Choosing Choice for Improved Feeding Outcomes

When children make choices about eating that frustrate caregivers and therapists, a careful examination of those choices-- and the experiences that colored them--allows us to determine how to facilitate growth along a more positive path. Instead of going around this developmental learning process, therapists can lean into the child's choice and give them the autonomy they desire while providing opportunities for confidence and skill-building. Provision of therapy that establishes and supports this foundational process leads to an improved lifelong relationship with food. For clinicians working with families and young children, moving away from a directive or prescribed approach in feeding intervention towards a responsive framework can improve outcomes and instill trust between the partners involved in feeding. Consideration of the child as an autonomous individual with unique congenital and experiential challenges allows us to reframe how we set goals, provide therapy, and interact with caregivers.