Evaluation of Children Who Have Food Selectivity

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The development of an effective treatment plan for a child with food selectivity begins with a thorough evaluation of the child in the context of their family unit. Information gathered as part of a comprehensive feeding evaluation includes the child’s medical history, sensory processing patterns, oral motor skills, and mealtime behavior. This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the feeding evaluation to facilitate the development of an effective treatment plan for increased food acceptance and promotion of positive and healthy mealtime interactions. This is part two in a series of four on Food Selectivity.

Meet your instructor

Michelle Suarez

Michelle Suarez is an Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy department at Western Michigan University (WMU). She received her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (OT) from Eastern Michigan University and her PhD in Interdisciplinary Health Science from Western Michigan University. In her role as professor, she…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Feeding History Evaluation

This chapter will cover the information that must be gathered to create a holistic perspective of the child’s eating skills and mealtime behavior. Information related to health and development, texture transition, child and family strengths, and family priorities all form the foundation for food selectivity treatment goals.

2. Physical and Medical Considerations in Food Selectivity Evaluation

A comprehensive feeding evaluation includes gathering information related to physiological considerations, observation of a typical meal, sensory processing patterns, and oral motor skills. This chapter will provide specific instruction on how to capture this information objectively in order to identify a baseline level of performance that can be used to track change with treatment.

3. Development of Food Selectivity Treatment Goals

The development of objective and meaningful goals is essential for guiding the treatment process. This chapter outlines three types of treatment goals that form the basis of most food selectivity treatment plans. In addition, case studies for three children are presented and these children will be followed in subsequent lectures related to treatment.

More courses in this series

Food Selectivity: Causes & Consequences in Children with Autism

Michelle Suarez