Developing a Fun Sensory Diet Your Child Will Eat

Developing a Fun Sensory Diet Your Child Will Eat

Judy Benz Duncan, Occupational Therapist

Is there a “picky eater” in your life? Is mealtime a struggle? Are you worried your child is not getting the nutrition they need?

Many children have significant mealtime difficulties that often impact the whole family and make mealtimes a stressful, frustrating experience.

A child with sensory integration issues may display difficulty with sitting at the table, touching the food, food texture or smells, adequately chewing, being able to try or accept new food items, use of utensils or cups, being able to handle the distractions of eating in a distracting environment.

While there are many components as well as individual needs and behaviors that impact self feeding and food acceptance, this book is focusing on presenting food in a fun way that provides a full sensory experience for your child who may have sensory processing concerns.

Food presentation as part of a sensory diet is an important part of developing a total sensory diet.

This book, “Developing a Fun Sensory Diet Your Child Will Eat,” of over 180 printed pages includes:

Introduction

Strategies and Reasoning Behind Fun Food Presentations

Food and Behavior Diary

Sensory Processing System Components

  • Visual Sense / Vision:

  • Tactile Sense / Touch

  • Olfactory Sense / Smell

  • Gustatory Sense / Taste

  • Auditory Sense / Hearing

  • Proprioception and Oral Motor Awareness

Fun Food Presentations for Full Sensory Experience

Time Saver Ideas

Full Color Photographs of Food Ideas for the Following:

  • Tic Toc Food Clock

  • Blue Bubble Fishy Snack

  • Crazy Bird Meatball Nests

  • Baby Bear in a Sleeping Bag

  • Chick-a-Doodle Time

  • Butter Bear Bread

  • BooBoo Bear Breakfast Bowl

  • Happy Snack

  • Harry’s Wild Hair-Cut Sandwich

  • Silly Noodle Dancer Meal

  • Make Your Own Pizza Time

  • Sammy Mates

  • Small Bites Sandwich Options

  • Jumping Gym Snack

  • Rocket Orbit

  • Noodle Pals

  • Pancake Creations

  • Cheesy Cut Outs

  • Nutty Owl

  • Finger Sandwich Options

  • Fruity Owl

  • Cool Cat

  • Deep Sea Submarine Dive

  • Bunny Love

  • Peek-A-Boo Meal

  • Sunny Day Pancake

  • Fish Friends

  • Goof Ball Friends

Little Portions, Little Bites, Big Smiles!

NO MORE SAD FACES!!!!!

Safety, Allergies, and Choking Hazards

Food Strategies to “Wake Up” the Mouth

Food Strategies for “Chewing Needs”

Food Strategies for “Sensory Alerting” and Meeting the Need to “Crunch”

Food Strategies for “Sensory Alerting” without the Crunch

Food Strategies for “Sensory Needs for Biting, Grinding, Pulling/Tugging with Teeth”

Sensory Diet Includes Developing Sucking and Blowing Oral Motor Muscles

Sensory Diet Includes Strategies for Developing Sucking Strength, Coordination and Control

Sensory Diet Includes Strategies for Developing Oral Motor Control and Strength for Blowing

Make Your Own Olfactory /Smell /Oral Motor /Taste Box

Sensory Food Fun Idea: Turn Gelatin into a Fun Sensory Taste-Testing Activity

Safety and Choke Hazards

Sensory Fun Food Time Tips & Ideas

Stay Calm, Relax, Smile, Have Fun!

This OT Publication is available:

On Amazon Kindle

Now on Paperback: Click & Go

See all Judy Benz Duncan’s books on Amazon

Author, Judy Benz Duncan has been an Occupational Therapist for over thirty years. She has worked with children from infants to teenagers in numerous settings that included early intervention, pre-school programs, grade school, home health, developmental training centers, and sensory integration clinics.

Judy developed the foundation for designing therapeutic activities and tasks using interactive play and creative imagination to engage the children at a level they could easily relate to while working toward the achievement of their Occupational Therapy program’s functional goals and treatment plan

Judy attended the University of Florida, University of Kansas, and the University of Tennessee. She received New York State approval as a Supplemental Evaluator for OT with early intervention and pre-school students, and has helped develop and start an OT program for families and children in New York. Judy continues to stay up-to-date in the clinical field through mentoring other OT students and new graduates.

She continues to contribute to children, families and professionals everywhere through her professional writing endeavors which include writing books and manuals, managing the therapeutic website, TheraPlay4Kids.com, writing OT blogs and topic-specific articles, working on "interactive story play" book series, writing bi-weekly professional blogs for a pediatric orthopedic surgeon group, a psychiatrist, and an attorney at law. She continues to be an active mentor of new OT graduates, as well as OT students.