Eating is the most difficult sensory task that children do! Our feeding therapy team here at Bambini have explained how to identify sensory responses that may be impacting your child's ability to eat well. Feel free to read our tips or learn more in our YouTube clip by clicking on the image below!
What are the 8 Sensory Systems?
External Environment Internal Environment
Visual (Vision) 5. Tactile (Touch
Auditory (Hearing) 6. Proprioception (body in space)
Olfactory (Smell) 7. Interoception (body signals e.g., fullness)
Gustatory (Taste) 8. Vestibular (balance)
What can I look out for during mealtime?
Over-responsivity: Reactions to food are greater than expected.
Under-responsivity: Reactions to food are less than expected.
Fluctuating responsivity: Reactions can be both greater and less than expected.
Visual Over-Responses
Avoids eye-contact
Moves chair back from table
Repeated eye blinking, squinting or eye watering
Attempting to scatter food off the table
Vomiting
Olfactory Over-Responses
Covering nose with hand or shirt
Eye watering or turning head away
Making funny faces around food
Coughing or gagging at smells
Tactile Defensive
Lip splay (spreading), finger splay or grimacing
Using teeth rather than lips to clear utensils
Frequent hand wiping
Avoids touching different food textures
Gustatory Over-Responses
Gagging
Vomiting to tastes
Grimacing, shuddering or lip splays
Auditory Defensive
Startling to noises
Avoiding crunchy foods
Covering ears during mealtime
Difficulty eating in loud environments (e.g., childcare or restaurants)
Gravitational Insecurity
Startles when chair is pushed in
Avoids drinking from an open cup or tips head back when drinking
Chin tuck to drink
Fearful when feet leave the ground to climb into chair
Under Responsive
May pocket food in mouth (food is held in their cheeks)
May overstuff mouth with food
Does not react to large smells
May swallow food whole or barely chew
Minimal reaction to spicy or sour foods
We strongly encourage you to reach out to your child’s feeding therapist if you have any further questions or would like any clarification to help you support your child on their feeding therapy journey.
These strategies were obtained from the SOS Approach to Feeding Guide and were developed by Kay A. Toomey and Associates 2002/2010