Last week we talked about how to progress your child’s interactions with new foods when they won’t even touch them! I’ve got more tips for you coming soon, but I wanted to address all the moms who said “we’re touching, but that’s about it!” The key is to always think about one step further and to work on bringing food closer to the face where you can involve taste, smell, and even tactile experiences on the lips or mouth. I recommend making it FUN. Follow your child’s lead but gently nudge them further. Never force! These steps to eating are strategies that I use in my practice and kids love them! You can try this at mealtimes or you might be more successful between meals when your child will feel less pressure to eat. As always, grab your ebook (linked in bio!) for even more ideas and methods to help your child try new foods! . . . . . . #autism #asd #autismnutrition #pickyeaters #fussyeaters #learningtolike #tryingnewfoods #divisionofresponsibility #autismspectrumdisorder #spd #autismfoodrules #sensoryseeker #sensoryprocessingdisorder #pickyeatingtips #autismnutritionist #arfid #pickyeaterproblems #autismdiet #sensorykid #autismfoodrules ⠀⠀

You can’t go wrong with either method, BUT if you’ve been following along lately you’ve been noticing parents share that when their child is involved in food prep - whether it’s gardening or cooking - they’re more likely to EAT. Involving kids in cooking gives them a sense of ownership and empowerment than can inspire them to eat. PLUS - it’s a great sensory experience which can also train their bodies to feel more comfortable with food. Pancakes are such a kid friendly option and I have a bunch more recommendations on my website JennyFriedmanNutrition.com/blog (search for “cooking”). As always, grab your ebook (linked in bio!) for even more cooking ideas and other methods to help your child eat! . . . . . . #autism #asd #autismnutrition #pickyeaters #fussyeaters #fruit #divisionofresponsibility #autismspectrumdisorder #spd #autismfoodrules #sensoryseeker #sensoryprocessingdisorder #pickyeatingtips #autismnutritionist #arfid #pickyeaterproblems #autismdiet #sensorykid #autismfoodrules #kidsinthekitchen #cookingwithkids #pancakes

Texture and look! These are two HUGE factors your child considers when faced with something to eat. This transition focuses on making small changes to these 2 areas as a way to introduce new foods and nutrients into the diet. You’ll notice that I always try to maintain the look and texture as much as possible though! I love this strategy for introducing fruits to crunch-lovers! As always, grab your ebook (linked in bio!) for even more tips to help your child eat! . . . . . . #autism #asd #autismnutrition #pickyeaters #fussyeaters #fruit #divisionofresponsibility #autismspectrumdisorder #spd #autismfoodrules #sensoryseeker #sensoryprocessingdisorder #pickyeatingtips #autismnutritionist #arfid #pickyeaterproblems #autismdiet #sensorykid #autismfoodrules #healthyfoodforkids

Is your child struggling with fruit? I PROMISE they’re not alone! Fruit can be tricky because of the texture, variability, and unpredictability. But there are still creative ways you can add fruit to your picky eater’s diet! These are 6 awesome ways to start getting fruit in TODAY while simultaneously working on transitioning to even more textures and varieties in the future. What’s your child’s favorite fruit? As always, grab your ebook (linked in bio!) for even more tips to help your child eat! . . . . . . #autism #asd #autismnutrition #pickyeaters #fussyeaters #fruit #divisionofresponsibility #autismspectrumdisorder #spd #autismfoodrules #sensoryseeker #sensoryprocessingdisorder #pickyeatingtips #autismnutritionist #arfid #pickyeaterproblems #autismdiet #sensorykid #autismfoodrules #healthyfoodforkids

💐Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing moms in the autism community!

Meet Qasim: "He was around 5 or 6 when diagnosed and he is nonverbal but can understand everything. Social distancing has been tricky on days where the rest of the family are working from home, but we get up to at least one major activity every day. It could be a family puzzle, cooking, baking a cake, bike ride, painting, gardening or basketball in the garden, etc. In this photo, he made a Victoria Sponge Cake! We’re a very close family and Qasim brings us even closer together. We’ve never let his autism stop us all from having adventures, it’s helped massively in Qasim's own confidence in himself, he loves trying new things and we’ve used quarantine to get to know his skillset even more!" - @qasimlife ⁣. ⁣For more updates, resources, and information regarding #SocialDistancing and #COVID19 and the autism community see our #COVID19 highlight or the link in our bio.

Meet Hunter: "With quarantine happening, I lost my job in March. Hunter was out of school a week before that. Since starting homeschooling, Hunter has had a difficult time with our laptop, and I am not working so I could not afford an iPad which he would do better with. A very sweet person saw my post on social media and dropped an iPad off on our front porch for Hunter. I was very grateful. He’s enjoying all the games on the school's site and we are practicing our shapes and colors. Now he can identify 4 different shapes and it tickles me every time. It's important to be kind during these difficult times because everyone is handling the quarantine differently, some people with special needs don’t quite understand why they can’t go to the park or see their friends. We’re in this together, helping each other will make the bad days a lot easier." -Hunter's Mother, Cassandra . For more updates, resources, and information regarding  #SocialDistancing??and  #COVID19??and the autism community see our COVID 19 highlight or the link in our bio.

Meet Eddie: "Eddie was diagnosed with autism at age 3. Eddie was about 10 when he started balloons. He used to have limited verbal communication so his speech therapist recommended we encourage him to be more vocal by telling him if he could use prompts like ‘I want…’ we would get it for him. It worked very well and one day he just said he wanted long balloons. We still don’t really know why he asked for long balloons, and we didn’t really think much of it until he started making more intricate pieces. Once #COVID19 hit, he started making balloons to thank essential workers. It all started with his friend Kay. Her mother is a grocery store manager. Kay expressed to us her mom was obviously very stressed and she asked Eddie if he could make something for her mom and could also be used as a tribute to essential workers like her mom. After that, we decided to continue thanking essential workers." - @ausomeballooncreator #KindnessCounts

"Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." - Helen Keller Thank you @Barleans for your continued support. https://www.barleans.com . . . . . . . . . . . #Barleans #Autism #ASD #AutismHope #AutismHopeAlliance #Hope #AutismAwareness

🎈📢GIVEAWAY BUNDLE FOR 10 WINNERS📢🎈 Color Garden has partnered with AHA to do a GIVEAWAY because they want you all to be aware of how plant based food coloring is a way to have fun without the worry that comes from synthetic artificial colors. Color Garden is 100% plant based & safe for the autistic community, especially kids. Being stuck at home through these difficult times does give us the opportunity to do fun at home projects such as baking and crafts. Color Garden fits in great with these activities and we hope you think so too. Outside of this giveaway Color Garden can be easily purchased on amazon at www.amazon.com/colorgarden WHAT YOU CAN WIN - 10 WINNERS! 1 Box of our Primary colors 1 Box of our Pastels colors pack 1 Bottle Naturally Colored Blue Sugar Sprinkles 1 Color Garden Branded Spatula Retail value $27.00 RULES 1 - Follow or like @Autism_Hope_Alliance and @Colorgardendyes 2 - Write a comment expressing a positive comment or interest. 3 - Tag a friend Giveaway Ends on 5/6/20 at midnight #aha #autism

Someone with Autism lights up my life Thank you for your continued support @houstonenzymes https://www.houston-enzymes.com/blog/how-enzymes-help-carbs/ . . . . . . . . . #Autism #AHA #ASD #Enzymes #HoustonEnzymes #Hope #AutismHope #AutismHopeAlliance #Carbs #AutismAwareness #AutismMom #AutismMoms #AutismDad #AutismDads #AutismFamily #AutismStrong

Autism Is My Superpower! Tell us About Your Superhero Below! Special Thanks to Our Partner @barleans for Their Continued Support . . . . . . . . . . #Autism #AHA #AutismHope #AutismHopeAlliance #ASD #Hope #AutismAwareness #April #AutismAwarenessMonth #CompaniesThatCare #barleans