293 Armstrong Erika 071429 101305085823

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Objective For the children, the program is designed to (1) improve oral intake of food by decreasing oral defensiveness and accepting various sensory experiences such as different textures, temperatures, and tastes; and (2) encourage the social aspects of eating by having the children participate in fun group eating activities. For the parents, the program is designed to (1) increase their knowledge of the skills involved in eating as well as aspects related to eating; and (2) provide them with the knowledge and support to facilitate carry-over in the home. Food and Fun: A Pediatric Group Feeding Program Helen Kenedi, MS, CCC-SLP andamp; Erika S. Armstrong, MS, CCC-SLP The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, P.O. Box 830688, Richardson, TX 75083 Introduction and Program Overview Food and Fun is a pediatric feeding program at The University of Texas at Dallas’ Callier Center for Communication Disorders. This program addresses the sensory, social, and play aspects of feeding in a group setting as well as provides parents with education and support. Student clinicians in the Communication Disorders Masters Program work one-on-one with the children to meet their personal goals. Parents and children participate in activities together and separately. The 90-minute session begins with parents and children participating in circle time with music and book activities designed to warm up the muscles of the body and mouth. Following circle time, the parents move to another room for their education component while the children participate in three to four sensory activities planned around a theme. While some of the activities may include food, children are often encouraged to explore with their hands rather than eat. Clinicians emphasize fun and enjoyable participation through modeling, peer interactions, and positive social reinforcement. The session ends with a snack time where the primary focus is on tasting. The parent component includes facilitated discussions as well as student and professional presentations on feeding-related topics. At the end of the session parents join their children and the clinicians for wrap-up and closing songs. Acknowledgement Thanks to Barri Kalmans Fogel, MS, CCC-SLP, who, as the mother of a child with a feeding disorder, designed and implemented this program to help other families in similar situations. 53 Method Participants To date, 19 children and their parents have participated in the Food and Fun program. Data collection on the program’s efficacy began in January 2005. Participants in the data collection process were 7 children (5 boys and 2 girls) and their mothers. The children ranged in age from 1:9 to 2:11 at the start of participation. All the children completed at least one semester of Food and Fun, and 4 of them completed two semesters. All the children presented with moderate-to-severe sensory-based feeding disorders characterized by aversions to a variety of textures, temperatures, and tastes. Six of the children were simultaneously receiving individual feeding therapy, and 5 were also receiving therapy for sensory integration dysfunction. Results Parent Education Component After completing one semester of Food and Fun, parents reported that their level of knowledge increased in all target educational areas. Their level of knowledge continued to increase after a second semester of participation. In addition, those parents who had attended two semesters tended to report an increase in home carry-over from the first semester to the second. Children’s Component According to parent report, after completing one semester of Food and Fun family mealtimes became more enjoyable and less stressful. In addition, the children were reported to sit at the table more, demonstrate an increased interest in what others were eating, and better tolerate new foods being presented at the table and on their plates. These behaviors continued to improve after completion of a second semester. Conclusions Food and Fun, a pediatric group sensory-based feeding program, is effective in educating parents on aspects of feeding and in facilitating carry-over of feeding-related activities in the home. Food and Fun is also effective in facilitating children’s abilities to increase their level of tolerance for a variety of textures and temperatures. In addition, the children are reported to generalize the social and feeding behaviors emphasized at Food and Fun to the home environment. The children in the program demonstrate overall improved eating behaviors after one semester. They also generally continue to improve after a second semester, indicating that parents and children receive extra benefit from two semesters of participation. Further data collection will be completed to determine whether a third semester is also effective in demonstrating improvement in these areas. Procedure In order to determine the effectiveness of the program, at the beginning and end of each semester parents were asked to complete a questionnaire on a variety of topics encompassing parent knowledge, home carry-over of activities, quality of family mealtimes, and their child’s particular feeding behaviors. Each question or statement was rated using a 5-point Likert scale. Children’s Component (continued) According to parent report, over the course of one to two semesters, the children made progress in being able to tolerate a greater variety of textures and temperatures to their hands and face. In addition, they began eating a greater variety of temperatures and textures.