Newsletter #113 for Internationally Adopting Parents
July 2, 2009
PAL Center Inc.

Latest Articles
from the
International Adoption Articles Directory

What To Do With Picky Eaters?

Tatyana Elleseff MA CCC-SLP
How to improve the feeding abilities of young adopted picky eaters
This article provides a variety of strategies parents can attempt to implement to improve the diets of young adopted “picky eaters.” It discusses the goal hierarchy for introducing new foods into the children’s diets as well as covers important developmental milestones pertaining to feeding skills and chewing abilities. It also provides some online resources parents can access, in order to learn more about typical feeding and chewing development patterns in young children.

It is an unfortunate fact that so many parents of adopted children are too familiar with the problem of food selectivity. Food selectivity, better known as “picky eating” is common in many formerly institutionalized children. It often develops due to numerous physical and sensory constraints associated with institutialization (e.g. an orphanage may feed their wards a highly limited diet lacking a variety of tastes and textures).

It is important to make a clear distinction between children who are picky eaters due to serious impairment (e.g., autism, neurological disorders, swallowing difficulties, etc) and children who were fed highly limited diets before their adoption took place. In the case of neurological impairment, picky eating will most likely not abate without intensive feeding intervention (typically performed by speech language pathologists who specialize in feeding and swallowing). However, in the case of picky eating due to institutionalization there are a few strategies that parents can try to work on improving their adopted child’s food selectivity. These strategies are intended to help parents figure out whether their child is just unused to new tastes and textures or whether it’s a more serious issue that merits professional consultation with a relevant provider. Read the full article

Alla Gordina, MD, FAAP
Feeding problems in a newly adopted child - a case of a picky eater
Our 12 month old daughter…is the happiest little baby we've ever met. ..However, she will hardly eat anything at all. The orphanage told us she was a picky eater, but boy is that an understatement. …We were expecting a child who wouldn't stop eating. Never dreamed we'd be in this situation!”

Suzie Goldie
Kids eating healthy and how anyone can become a healthy eater
Fast food is a big part of modern life these days, making it very hard to teach a child how he or she should eat healthy. The cheapest and easiest foods are those that are normally the least healthy. If you give your child the choice between healthy food and junk food, you normally won't like the results.

Arleta James
Sensitively Moving the Older International Adoptee

Julie Beem
Parent/School Guide for Individual Education Plans (IEPs)

Angela Krueger
International Adoption Books for School Age Kids

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