Picky Eating

Do you have a picky eater? 

While having preferences, and foods we absolutely detest, is completely normal, picky eating can present real challenges for families at meal times.

My number one goal for every person at the table is to enjoy the meal together.  Here are some tips to bring peace to your dinner table this spring.

1. Eat ‘family style’ when possible.  This allows your child to see and smell options.  This way you’re not forcing your child to take an undesired food, but he/she can observe others at the table enjoying it.
2. Continue to serve foods you know your child likes.  By increasing the likelihood that they’ll have at least one ‘safe food’ at the table, he/she might be more likely to branch out and try something new.
3. Introduce completely new foods at a snack time rather than a meal.  Snack is usually less formal and therefore puts less stress on trying something new.
4. Offer plenty of choices.  Milk or water?  A whole roll or split?  Apple slices on the dinner plate or in a bowl?

Now seems an ideal time to begin checking out fruits and veggies as they become ‘in season’ at the grocery store or local markets.  This is a great language opportunity too.  It’s fun to talk about where it grows, varieties, how it’s harvested, what kind of texture it has, and finally what it tastes like.  You can always talk about different ways to cook and serve it. 

Sometimes just learning about unfamiliar foods can pique interest in trying them.

Happy eating,

-Elizabeth

Asking the right questions

We all ask children questions whether they be your own or in my case, a child I work with.  My goal is to increase language as much as possible and the best way to do that is to ask WH- questions, such as who, what, when, where, and why.  "What is that?" can generate much more language than, "Is that a flower"?  One of my earliest moments of clarity during my education was learning how to stop asking yes/no questions and to start asking WH- questions.  Super Duper Publications has a handout that is an excellent resource to learn more about asking WH- questions, see the link below.  Whether you are in the car, at the store, or playing outside asking questions that start with who, what, when, where, and why will help to create many more opportunities for language than yes or no.  

WH questions-Super Duper Publications

-Cassee

Spring Language Activity

A great way to work on increasing your child’s language is to do a hands-on activity together. As the weather gets warmer a fun activity to do together is planting in the garden! Whether you decide on a flower, fruit, or vegetable you can incorporate some language skills.

Skills you can target:

Increase vocabulary:

Examples of vocabulary words: soil, water, sun, shovel, seed, grow, plant, dig, etc. Don’t forget to include nouns and verbs!

Sequencing:

Talk about all the steps that took place and in what order.

Describing:

Talk about all the colors, smells, and textures you encounter.

Don’t forget to have fun!

-Kirsten

Help Us Create Summer Social Groups at Rock!

As many of you already know, social skills are something we work on with many of our clients here at Rock Therapeutic Services.  While a lot of social skills can be taught and practiced in a 1-on-1 setting with a therapist, many other skills are more effectively learned in a group setting with peers.  We know several of our families at the Maple Valley clinic are interested in their children (and possibly their siblings!) participating in social skills groups led by our therapists, and this summer is the perfect time to try to start some up.

The biggest challenge, unsurprisingly, is scheduling times that work for all parties involved.  However, if you are interested in your child participating in a social skills group -- or even a paired session with one other child -- let your therapist know or give us a call so we can get the ball rolling.  

One of our lovely neighbors next door to our Mercer Island clinic already has an established social skills program that incorporates arts and drama as well: Creative Arts Social Club.  They are currently enrolling for 2016 summer camps, so if you're in the area check them out!

Puzzle Piece Rice Crispy Treats for Autism Awareness Month

Following in supportive spirit as April is Autism Awareness Month.   Here is an activity to promote fun and awareness is a very yummy way!

Puzzle Piece Rice Crispy Treats for Autism Awareness Month:

1. Start with rice cereal or Rice Krispies….sometimes you can find colored versions for different holidays (i.e. Rainbow for Saint Patrick’s Day).

2. You will need a puzzle piece cookie cutter, cookie scoop, and food coloring.  These items can be ordered from Sweet Baking & Candy Making Supply.  http://www.sweetbakingsupply.com/

3.  Make rice crispy treats by following the directions on the box.  Just add food coloring to make the colors for the autism puzzle symbol (red, yellow, and blue).  Place the colored rice crispy batches in strips in your pan.

4. Use the puzzle piece cookie cutter to make the treats into puzzle piece shaped rice crispy treats.

5.  To go an extra step when sharing these delicious treats with friends and family, add some labels from Autism Speaks http://thirtyhandmadedays.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/04/autismspeaksfull.pdf

I hope this activity is a fun way for you and your family to support Autism and to spread awareness.

-Paige