jeannicol's Autisable

The Kids Are Doing The Meal Planning!

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:19:32 GMT

If that title caught your attention, I am glad you are continuing to read! This is indeed happening in many families. Kids are helping with the meal planning. They are having fun and eating healthier meals ~ making for some pretty happy moms and dads of kids who were picky eaters. Imagine kids thinking they are going to be in control of deciding what the family eats! Some kids are already in control of their own diet, the very picky eaters. This may not be the diet you wished they would have. However, if they will only eat a limited number of foods, then they kind of have you supporting their plan as you are likely concerned about how little they eat. If their desired menu is a very limited number of foods then most parents, understandably, would have those foods available on demand. Now these children are pretty smart really, they have figured out how to be in control of their food choices and it looks to them like you think it’s a great plan too. How many parents don’t have struggles with their kids, as young as toddlers over who is going to be in control? That’s such a big part of growing and discovering who they are. Many discover at a very young age that they can gain control with food choices. Since they want to be in control of their food choices (don’t we all) then maybe we can work with them and have a bit more input! Why not work this out as a family. Plan meals together. Of course the persons purchasing the foods are really in control right. So you as the parent will want to present some more options but where do you start? Don’t re-invent the wheel, so to speak; a good guide to use would be the Canada’s Food Guide*. Your children may already be familiar with it since many have seen it in school.

Take a look at the food guide together.

Discuss the four food groups
Using the guide, brainstorm a list of foods for each food group maybe even listing them on paper of the matching colors of the food groups
Look at what the guide recommends that each person eats every day, based on their age. Each person could put down a number(in 4 colors) indicating how many servings of each food group they need to eat every day
Begin by planning the evening family meal together, later on you will be planning a day’s meals together, then perhaps the whole week!
The youngest should start because they have the fewest servings, others can add more to theirs as needed.
The idea will be that everyone has basically the same meal, especially the family evening meal.
To ensure more variety, you can take turns picking the main foods for the meal; each choosing something different or at least coming to an agreement on choices.
Pick one person to do the recording for the meals. This will be your plan for the day and maybe later be used to make up your grocery list.

You may want to start by purchasing the foods ahead of time; presenting what you have for the available choices. You can gradually work up to the family planning the grocery list. We know that the more actively involved people are in the process, the more apt they are to buy into the plan. Allowing the kids to make the choices based on the selection you present and Canada’s Food Guide recommendations puts them in control. Here are a few of the many benefits of this plan:

1) Kids are more likely to want to follow the guide than what parents suggest

2) you’re teaching your children the basics of good nutrition, the lesson plan done for you

3) you are encouraging them to make healthy choices

4) the kids are learning skills for a lifetime of healthy eating

5) a picky eater will eat a more varied diet

6) an overweight child will be eating healthier and perhaps less.

Expanding on the theory that the more involved the kids are the better, think of other ways to get them involved. Take them shopping and give the older children part of the list and a shopping cart. Let the younger ones help you pick the foods and place them in the cart. If time allows, make it a real learning time for toddlers. You can be developing language concepts with names of foods, colors, numbers, sizes, and shapes as well as getting them to listen and follow directions. When you get home from shopping get the kids to help put foods away. If you have a little one who likes water play, keep them busy at the sink washing fruit or veggies. Do you plant a garden in the summer? Get the kids involved with garden preparation, planting, watering, weeding and picking their vegetables!

Involve them in the meal preparation when possible too. There are so many opportunities to teach them very necessary life skills they are not likely to learn anywhere else than from family. It’s never too early to begin teaching kids.

If the title caught your attention, I am glad you continued to read and I hope you will be able to Let The Kids Do The Meal Planning ~ at least help with it!

*Food Guide Pyramid http://www.mypyramid.gov/

This article was originally published for Canadian Child Magazine http://www.canadianchildmagazine.ca/

Jean Nicol is the inventor of The Eating Game, an innovative and revolutionary program that has picky eaters having fun planning and eating healthy meals every day. Learn more about The Eating Game at www.theeatinggame.ca . Find out about other similar products and how they are being used at www.eyecancreations.blogspot.com .

liday Activities & Autism ~ Be Prepared!

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:01:15 GMT

Do visitors and the disruption of regular routines present problems for your child?

Try this..................

1) Write a social story about a specific event that you think may be difficult for your child; prepare them ahead of time; create a more predictable environment.

Be sure to write it in language your child understands.
If you take great care with use of language when speaking to your child, then write it down the way you might say it.
Be brief in describing what and/or when, where, why and how of the event.
Write about who will be there and how everyone will be feeling and how your child will be a part of what is happening
Describe your expectations.
Be very positive and don’t make it a list of do’s and don’ts.
Use lots of visuals: photos, drawings, graphics
Be creative.

~ This can be one or two pages (age appropriate amounts of text)

~ Make a storybook with a sentence and illustration on each page.

~ Use drawings, graphics, Google images, photos, magazine cut outs)

~ Put it on the computer, maybe a power point presentation.

~ Make a video presentation, even just video tape yourself reading it.

~ Make it a song.

~ Create a comic strip

2) Read this story to your child several times a day up until the event. Have others read the story too. This way you are sure that you and other family members/caregivers are all on the same page with expectations and the message is always the same.

Have you written any new social stories recently? Can you share the text from one of your stories ~ it may help someone else.

Holidays & Autism ~ Challenges Made Easier!

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:48:11 GMT

Do you and your child already find mealtimes a challenge? Are they a picky eater who has even more difficulty with the extra hustle and bustle, special guests, different timing or location of family meals during the holiday season?

Try this.................

Create a visual display about the meal, using text if appropriate to label foods or describe what will be happening. You will be taking away a good deal of the surprise and your child will like that they know ahead of time what they will be eating. Review this often ahead of time and display at the time of the meal.

1) Present pictures of all the foods that will be served-use photos, graphics, Google images, magazine cut outs.

2) Have your child choose the foods they will eat and stick them on a drawing of a plate or a real plate!

3) Divide the plate in 4 and have them choose 4 different foods to go on their plate. You decide ahead of time on the number and selection of foods.

4) Plan for a drink choice and a dessert choice too.

5) Think of other ways your child might be involved in helping with the meal if appropriate:

Can they help you shop for the foods (take some pictures with you)
Maybe they can help with some of the meal preparation
If you had an illustration would they be able to set the table or assist with this task
Could they put name cards (perhaps photos) on the table, so they know where people will be sitting
Is it possible for them to help serve the meal
With everyone finished the meal and out of the kitchen would they enjoy helping to clean up, listening to some favourite music perhaps

SOCIAL STORIES ARE POWERFUL

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:31:41 GMT

Are you wondering how to deal with all the activities of the upcoming busy season?

Are you concerned about how your child will deal with company arriving for a visit and you'd like to prevent possible meltdowns?

Write a social story (ies) about visitors who will be coming and put photos of your friends/family in the story, especially any you might have of your two families together. That way they won't be strangers to him and he will know what to expect. Write little stories about things you will be doing together, especially if different from your normal routines. Read these stories several times a day up until they arrive and while they are there if you need to.

If you haven't used social stories, know that they are a very powerful teaching tool for kids on the spectrum, actually for any kids! They are written in language your child understands, very personal, can include photos and/or graphics, describe a situation well (make it predictable), is not a list or rules or “to dos”, is very positive, can be read repeatedly to reinforce what you are trying to teach and every time it is read the message is EXACTLY the same. The latter is very hard to accomplish when it is not written down. Also when it is written down everyone who reads it is imparting EXACTLY the same message ~ how else can you get such consistency?(the story helps more than just the child!)
Mom, dad, siblings, babysitter, therapist, grandparents, school staff can all be on the same page, imparting the same message ~ it is powerful! I know children, teens and young adults who read and reread their own as needed! Oh and they can all help you write them if capable and appropriate. Some of them may even help take the pictures. There are also many creative ways to present the stories (for another posting)

Keep the stories in a binder in page protectors so they don’t get worn out, because they will be well used. Make more than one copy and send one to school and ask them to read them. They may start writing some for school that you can read at home, you are supporting school efforts and you are well informed of school expectations too! I have written hundreds for many children, teens and young adults and was never disappointed with the results!

Do you use social stories? How old is your child? Would you share one tip that might help other parents or educators who are just starting to use social stories?

The Eating Game to Teach Toddlers

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:29:16 GMT

A few weeks ago at the Pictou Weekend Market I met a mom and her 2 year old daughter. Mom said she had recently been reading Canada's Food Guide and thought she should pay attention to this for her daughter. What a smart mom! Her daughter will have a good start at eating healthy meals and she now has The Eating Game to use too! The first chart in The Eating Game is for 2 - 3 year olds so she is right on schedule! And kids her age are so ready to learn anything and everything they can!

Most 2 year olds are seriously ready to learn from all the opportunities we provide for them. With The Eating Game you can establish as base for healthy eating habits - hopefully for a lifetime! You can also teach and master more skills:
1) making a choice between 2 or more items
2) color recognition (red, blue, yellow, green)
3) language concepts: same, different, choose one, food names, color names,
mealtime, snack time, eating related language

Kids love having the opportunity to choose! They enjoy being in control too - don't we all! Using The Eating Game gives them all these opportunities PLUS presents choices for a very healthy diet!

The Eating Game Story

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:56:45 GMT

The Eating Game was invented in March 2007 (patents pending in Canada & USA) for Ethan who was 6 years old and is autistic. At the time he was happiest eating just hot dogs and rice! He was very excited the first day he used The Eating Game because had hot dogs and rice for breakfast! - a story I like to tell to illustrate that a key feature of The Eating Game is that the child is in control of the choices! They like that!

The user needs to have only 2 skills:(NOTE: verbal or literacy skills not needed)

• be able to make a choice
• be able to match 4 colors (blue, yellow, green and red)

There are over 200 food pictures in four different food groups and colors: (1 inch pictures, 5 mil laminated card stock with a hook & loop button)

• Milk & Alternatives* - Blue
• Grains* - Yellow
• Fruit & Vegetables - Green
• Meat & Alternatives - Red

* pictures will support alternative choices made by those on CFGF diets or any other dietary restrictions

There are planning charts for each of the age groups in Canada's Food Guide: five are included in the book (2-3, 4-8, 9-13, females 14-18, males 14-18) but there are also 4 more that are available if needed(females 19-50 & 51+, males 19-5 & 51+). It is being used in some group homes and by folks in assisted living programs. The charts are also 5 mil laminated card stock with hook & loop buttons to accept the food pictures. There are storage pages to put the pictures on that the parent chooses to present to the child.

Initially the parent chooses the food pictures to present based on:

• foods the child can eat (special dietary considerations)
• foods the child has eaten in their lifetime
• foods available at the time
• foods the parent chooses!

Once the pictures are presented for the child's choice, it has to be totally their choice. They must choose pictures to match the colored squares on their planning chart. Once they have done this they have chosen to eat the foods recommended by Canada's Food Guide** for their age group. They can later be exchanged but the new choice must be the same color.
NOTE: The choice Ethan made of hot dogs & rice for breakfast only happened once, because then he realized he couldn't have it for lunch or supper! However, he was pretty excited to be able to make that choice which also convinced him he was in control!

** There are some pictures that Canada's Food Guide might not recommend, like chocolate cake with the "grains pics" but I felt they needed to be included. The reality is that these foods will be eaten and perhaps not all that bad a choice when made in moderation (and the parent is really in control of what is presented!) If a child who is a poor eater can start eating most of what Canada's Food Guide recommends then maybe they deserve a treat too!The cake or other choice could also be used as a reinforcer to enhance motivation!

Ethan was eating over 200 new foods in 15 months and he still (after 29 months) uses The Eating Game although is eating almost everything! Being able to make the choices and being in control is important. This makes mealtime very predictable and the visual supports are a great communication tool! Meals are no longer a surprise - pretty significant for a lot of kids with ASD!

Hearing at 10 Times Normal Volume!

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:26:24 GMT

She had a hearing test and the results indicated she was hearing at 10 times normal volume! A whisper was easy to hear and noises were intolerable. Some high pitched sounds were excruciating. This type of sensory issue is not uncommon among children with autism. How difficult would it be to be actively involved in an inclusive school environment with peers, doing a hands on activity if you needed your hands to cover your ears to muffle intolerably loud sound?

It is possible to have hearing aids made to filter out sound; the reverse of what we normally use hearing aids for. This is certainly a more acceptable way to block loud noise than heavy duty headphones. The latter, worn over long periods or 24/7 can cause ear infections. They also set your child up for kids to make fun of them.

There is no doubt that the hearing aids would be much more expensive....................but imagine what you would be willing to pay if everyday sounds were 10 times the volume all the time?

Why Will He Only Eat a Few Foods?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:55:10 GMT

Many kids with autism, perhaps up to 75%, have issues related to eating. Like children who do not have autism there may be physical/medical reasons or there may be sensory issues(texture, taste, color, temperature, shape) or food allergies. These concerns are real and must be dealt with so as to ensure your child has a reasonably healthy diet.

I believe there is another issue for kids with ASD, and perhaps others. Typically children on the autism spectrum don't like surprises. They are able to manage and respond more positively in a predictable environment, where they know what to expect, what's coming next. Why would this be any different when it comes to eating/meals? Aren't meals very often a surprise, until we sit down to eat and what might your child do if the meal is not what they thought it would be? And would you know what they thought it would be? You probably would know if they will only eat a limited number of foods and that is what you always present to them. What they have done is created a predictable environment for themselves so they always know what they will be eating! Aren't they smart! And when they get tired of this group of foods they switch it up a bit for another undetermined period of time.

As a parent you are very concerned when your child will only eat a few foods and you will often try new foods but.................. in the end you never run out of their desired foods and you provide it on demand often because you are concerned about how little they eat! You are supporting and reinforcing their plan!And they know it and like it.

These observations led me to develop a program that would help kids make a wider variety of food choices, their choice. They would still be in control. They would use pictures, chosen and placed on a chart for 6 meals in a day. Now they have a very predictable meal plan for themselves and everyone else to know what they will be eating. It has created a structure that can become part of their daily routine. They can do this if they are not verbal too. They don't have to be able to read, write or speak. The only skills needed are to be able to make a choice and match 4 colors. Oh, and it is equally successful with children who are verbal, read and write and for children who are not autistic. It is The Eating Game!

I Read a Beautiful Story

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:08:07 GMT

I just read an amazing article. A beautiful, honest story about a father and his son who is autistic. What drew me to this article was the writer's statement that he felt everyone would benefit from having an autistic child in their family. I would extend that, for those without a family, to say that we would all benefit from having a relationship with a child, and adult too, who is on the autism spectrum.

My 25 years of relationships with persons with ASD brings me to concur with the author about all persons with autism being unique but sharing similarities in difficulties with communication and social skills. For me communication is the key issue. I would add to that a healthy diet.

I appreciated the author's feelings re "cure"and "regret" as related parenting a child with autism. Not the usual answers of "I wish he wasn't autistic" or "I wouldn't change a thing".

Take a few minutes and read the article by following this link:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1206734/Ken-Bruce-Why-I-believe-world-better-place-family-experience-child-autism.html

It Can Be a Family Plan Too

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:03:14 GMT

As many of you know I have been at The Pictou Weekend Market all summer and we will still be there until September 20th, every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm!

I have met so many nice people while at the market, I share my stories and they share theirs! We have shared stories about children & grandchildren with autism/aspergers; picky eaters and their endeavors to get all their children to eat healthy.

Early in the summer a family bought an Eating Game for their 3 girls to use together - a family plan! The girls plan together what they will eat the next day choosing from the choices mom and dad present! And they remind mom and dad when it is time to plan too!

Mom stopped by the market to tell me that it is working very well! She says the girls are all sitting down to enjoy the whole meal they planned.

Don't we all like to be in control in our lives? Children are no exception and they are constantly looking for ways to be in control right! How powerful The Eating Game can be .........Mom & Dad pick the foods to choose from, then the child(children) is in control. The real plus of course beyond the 'control' issue is that they are making healthy choices, establishing healthy eating habits, we hope for life!