Episode 13: Structure Without Stress

In this week’s episode, Jennifer is joined by Brianna Brown, a speech therapist and member of the Thrive Tube Weaning Team. Brianna works in the Spectrum Pediatrics clinic in Alexandria, VA, working in Early Intervention, as well as working with families in our tube weaning program. Brianna and Jennifer will dive into the topic of structure around mealtimes, and how you can use structure without added stress. They will discuss how to help kids that need more structure or support through the tube weaning process in a way that doesn’t interfere with responsive feeding. The internal drives for eating have been discussed in previous episodes, but what should you do when a child has a hard time being able to tune in to these abstract feelings? Structure can look different for every child, but it is important to continue to use a child-directed, responsive feeding approach when building in these strategies to your child’s mealtimes. Jennifer and Brianna will discuss all the different options for building in structure, including visual schedules, first/then boards, choices, and social stories. This episode will review all of these strategies in more detail and discuss how to implement these strategies in a way that will allow your child to feel safe and build a positive relationship with food. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!