Santino was afforded physical prompts, as necessary, to facilitate his eye-hand and hand-to-mouth coordination skills during feeding. He has been exhibiting improved coordination and as improvements are noted, prompting techniques are being gradually faded to improve self-sufficiency. Successful performance is also dependent on the consistency of his pureed lunch. When it is more liquefied, greater skill is required to eat without spilling the food. His lunch has been of a thicker consistency of late, which has contributed to greater success eating without the food falling off the spoon. Santino's appetite appears to have improved as he is often looking to eat more once done with his meal. He has been requesting additional snacks, which have been added, to supplement his main course.
Santino requested to eat using words in a complete sentence. I continue to add the word "please" at the end of requests, but prompting as yet remains necessary for successful attainment. Today, Santino selected the eating implement he preferred, choosing a plastic spoon over the metal one he had in his lunchbox. I hope to encourage greater self -sufficient behaviors during meal-time. Santino has been exhibiting more coordinated movements when eating and finishing his pureed lunch more neatly and independently. He requested Fruit Loops cereal as his snack and drank water when prompted. Santino rarely requests to drink any beverage, but he is reminded to do so to remain adequately hydrated.
Santino ate his pureed lunch independently and enthusiastically. He enjoyed its smooth consistency, but it should also be noted that he has become more tolerant of foods more course in nature. Once done eating, Santino requested Fruit Loops cereal and was prompted to request it using a subject and verb. He is slowly broadening his language repertoire and is reinforced with the I-pad for doing so. Prompting methods are gradually being fading as targeted goals are approximated or attained. Santino refused water initially, but he was encouraged to drink from a cup when we went outdoors as it was quite hot and I wanted him to remain hydrated. Towards the end of our session, Santino ate a vanilla pudding and requested a second. Although he did not have more in his lunch box, I suggested another Fruit Loops cereal snack which he consumed with gusto. Santino also drank water out of the water fountain today. All told, he ate and drank well.
I was very pleased to hear Santino request his meal in a complete sentence this afternoon ("I want to eat') Moving forward, I will also be reinforcing him for adding the word please at the end of his requests. Santino finished his pureed lunch in its entirety and subsequently requested yogurt - which he also ate independently and with good coordination demonstrated. He drank water before and after his meal. We saved his Fruit Loops cereal for a snack later in the day and Santino was assisted in opening the bag using scissors. We will continue to work towards increasing his food repertoire, tolerance, and self-sufficiency during mealtimes throughout the year.
Santino was very responsive when I mentioned it was time to eat. He grew animated and excited, as demonstrated by the positive response he displayed at the mention of food, indicating he wanted to "eat" by verbalizing the word. I encouraged Santino to use longer verbal chained responses via modeling desired replies (i.e., "I want to eat, please"). Today, Santino ate the entirety of his lunch with good control, oral motor skills, and enthusiasm. I was delighted to see him eat food that was courser in texture, and he was responsive when asked if he wanted cereal following his meal and a drink; he ate and drank both independently. Santino's overall relationship with food and mealtime seems to have improved and he is reinforced for eating different foods for a variety of people in different settings. These goals will continue to be reinforced throughout the year, with new meal options and textures gradually introduced to broaden his acceptance and tolerance of different foods.
