Dear Parents of the Blue Bombers

Judy McCrary Koeppen www.septar.org www.sagetherapy.com www.sagetherapy.blogspot.com Dear Parents of the Blue Bombers, Last week my husband attended the team parent meeting. He was confronted in front of the group by a couple of parents about our son. My husband was not at the game he was asked about. I was there and was organizing the team snack when my son evidently hit or pushed a child on the other team after being taunted. I was never aware nor told that this had occurred. Our message to him was, and continues to be, that this type of behavior is never acceptable. At the beginning of the season I told the coach (as I do every coach, camp counselor etc.) that our son has learning and attention deficits and sometimes has difficulty controlling his emotions when in competitive situations. I asked the coach to let us know if he needed assistance, had…

Autism: Feeding Issues and Picky Eaters

Judy McCrary Koeppen www.septar.org www.sagetherapy.com www.sagetherapy.blogspot.com Autistic children are often very picky eaters, or have eating issues. Having your child refuse to eat any foods that are not white and soft in consistency can be maddening, but as a speech therapist and parent I’ve found it most helpful to have a clear understanding of why a child self-limits their diet. Eating is a multi-sensory experience. Each mouthful brings the possibility of a variety of flavors, textures and temperatures. A feeding specialist would break this down further, identifying “Flavors” including sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and neutral; “Textures” including crunchy, chewy, soft, mixed, puree, thick liquids, and thin liquids; and “Temperatures” including cold, room temperature, warm, and hot. In addition, we experience food odors, and often the way they feel in our hands. Many children who are picky or problem eaters may have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). In her book The…