Technically, Jackson met our requirements for graduation at breakfast on the 4th day. He successfully ate breakfast with his mom and his brother and he engaged in almost no challenging behavior. However, before we discharge, we like to make sure that our clients can generalize their behaviors to school or to a community restaurant (or both!). So, we used Friday to work on generalization.
Pretzel’s at the Mall
Kendall told us that one of the most difficult times had been when they went to the mall and Jackson tried to get pretzels. Since starting the gluten-free diet, he would not be able to eat those pretzels and she worried that he would have a tantrum if she told him no. So, we agreed to meet her at the mall to work on an intervention.
Jackson walked right past the pretzels to meet us in the middle of the mall. However, when we arrived, he took off walking. He was a man on a mission! He went straight for the pretzels. We told him “no pretzels today, we are going to eat lunch”. He grabbed his communication device and typed out “PRETZEL”. We affirmed his request and simply restated that we would not be having a pretzel but instead we would go to lunch and he could eat pizza (we had already selected a gluten-free pizza place). We showed him the picture of a pizza.
Jackson took off walking through the mall. He had one things on his mind: Pretzels! After circling the mall and arriving at the pretzels again, he walked over to the display and pointed. We reminded him again that we would not be having pretzel and that we were going to lunch. With that, he decided it was time to leave and he proceeded to his car.
Well that seemed a little too easy.
Planet Pizza
When we arrived at Planet Pizza, the manager was restocking the chips. Yes, you remembered correctly. Jackson has a thing for Lay’s potato chips. He was super excited! He went over, picked up a bag of chips and appeared happy as a clam. We reminded him that he was here for pizza and not for chips. We asked him to put the chips back. At first he was reluctant but we remained firm. Please put the chips away, we are going to eat pizza. Jackson put the chips away and we asked him to pick out a drink.
Prior to starting feeding therapy, Jackson only drank water. He drank water out of a faucet and out of the Long Island Sound. Wherever he could find water, Jackson drank it! We told him, “No water today, pick something else.” He told us no but we held up two types of juice and he picked one.
Then we escorted him to find a table while the pizza cooked.
- Note: Kendall brought her own dairy free cheese and the staff cooked the gluten-free crust with the special cheese.
- Note: Bring things to do in restaurants while you wait!
While we are great at helping kids in the community, we have so much knowledge and training that we have a hard time remembering to teach the parents all that we know. We forgot to prep Kendall for the things that Jackson would need to keep himself busy. Luckily, we had iPhones so he tried to watch YouTube while waiting.
Jackson made a few noises during his wait. Unfortunately, restaurant patrons stared at us. The staring makes all parents uncomfortable. We let Kendall know that bringing Jackson out actually helps to educate others. Plus, Jackson has every right to be there too!
Success
The pizza arrived after only a 15-minute wait but then we had to wait for it to cool. Finally, Jackson could try pizza for the first time in many, many years. He loved it! He didn’t mind the spinach or the broccoli. He even picked up his fork and stabbed a few pieces on his own. He ate the entire piece that Kendall had prepared for him. He did this without aggression and without any expels!
Jackson still has some skills to work on:
- cutting his own food
- stabbing his own food using the fork
- scooping his own food with a spoon
- learning to wait quietly at restaurants
- wiping his mouth with a napkin without reminders
However, he has come a tremendous distance in only 5 short days. Congratulations Kendall on all of your hard work. Jackson is a champion eater and you are a champion mom!
