ILT Blog | Integrated Learning Therapy

Help your child overcome these five fussy eating problems

Nov 13, 2024 | I'm a Parent, I'm a Teacher, ILT Blog

In the distant past, humans may have developed a reason for being fussy about foods. They had to avoid strange and bitter tastes to prevent themselves being poisoned. They also knew to seek out types of high-energy, palatable foods and store these for periods of food scarcity. In the present, it is certainly very common for children from the age of about 3 years to develop aversions to certain foods and become fixated on eating only a few.

Nick Fuller writes that the foods we eat from an early age forms lifelong food preferences so that, and the fact that we need a variety of food for good health, means that we need to encourage our children to eat a balanced diet. Writing for The Conversation, he outlines some of the most frequent foods avoided by young children and offers ideas of overcoming reluctance to eat them.

Only eating beige or white foods

When it comes to fussy eating, beige and white foods typically reign supreme. This is because these foods are:

familiar—they’re the colour of breastmilk and the foods typically used when we introduce solids, such as infant cereal
bland or mild-flavored—they don’t overwhelm toddlers who have 30,000-plus tastebuds(versus the 10,000-plus adults have)
easy—they’re often soft and easy to chew, making them appealing to toddlers developing chewing skills
non-threatening—they’re the opposite of what our hunter-gatherer ancestors have programmed us to avoid: brightly coloured—and toxic—foods found in the wild.

While it can be tempting to give in and serve chicken nuggets at every meal, a diet consisting of only beige and white foods is likely to be highly processed and low in dietary fibre. This can result in constipation and the depletion of healthy gut bacteria.

A beige/white diet can also lack the vitamins and minerals needed for healthy development and growth, including vitamins B and C, and iron.

To add healthier food options, and more colour, to your toddler’s diet:

mix things up. Combine less healthy beige and white foods with healthier ones, like blending cannellini beans and cauliflower into mashed potatoes
make healthy swaps. Gradually replace the favoured white bread, pasta and rice with wholegrain versions; for example, mix brown rice into a serving of white
use familiarity to your advantage. Introduce colourful food options alongside the familiar beige and white ones, such as offering fruit to dip in yogurt, or a healthy red or green sauce with pasta.

Refusing anything but milk

It’s not surprising that toddlers love milk. It has been the constant in their life since birth. And it’s associated with more than just satisfying hunger—it’s there when they’re tired and going to sleep, when they’re upset and need comfort, and when they’re enjoying closeness with mum or dad.

It also contains lactose, a sugar found naturally in milk, so it tastes sweet and appeals to our hunter-gatherer instinct to seek foods high in natural sugar to avoid starvation.

While dairy provides essential calcium for toddlers, it needs to be part of a balanced diet. The Australian Dietary Guidelines suggest toddlers have 1–1½ servings of milk (1 cup = 1 serve), yogurt (200g = 1 serve) and cheese (2 slices = 1 serve) (or alternatives) daily.

If your toddler is consuming too much milk, they’re at risk of iron deficiency, as milk is a poor source of iron and interferes with our body’s ability to absorb it.

To move your toddler away from milk, try:

fact-finding. When your toddler asks for milk, ask questions to understand what they really want. Are they hungry, thirsty or wanting comfort? Offer that instead
filling up on solids first. Tempt your toddler with healthy and interesting-looking foods, and only offer milk after they’ve eaten something solid
smaller serves. Switch to serving milk in a smaller-sized cup.

Avoiding textured foods

Refusing to eat lumpy, chewy or strangely textured foods is common as toddlers’ sensory and oral motor skills develop.

It’s also common for parents to continue pureeing these foods as a result of the upsetting gagging that often accompanies trying different textured food.

To support your toddler’s transition to textured foods and ensure they’re developing the muscles needed to eat safely:

turn the texture up slowly. Start with food your toddler enjoys, such as pureed carrot, and gradually blend it for less time to retain some lumps
stay calm if your toddler gags. Let them know it’s OK, and give them time to work it through on their own. After they have coughed it out, encourage them to try another spoonful, or try again next time.

Refusing vegetables

The texture, brightness and bitter taste of some veggies can be off-putting for some children.

But vegetables are a good source of the vitamins, minerals and fibre toddlers need.

To overcome your toddler’s aversion to veggies, get creative. The appearance of food affects our perception of its taste, so boost veggies’ appeal by arranging them into fun plate art.

Extend this creativity to introduce vegetables in new ways, for example, grating carrots or kale into muffins and using a spiraliser to make zucchini noodles.

Focus on offering sweeter tasting vegetables, such as peas, carrot and sweet potato, and roasting them to bring out their natural sweetness. Children are more likely to go for sweeter-tasting veggies than bitter ones like broccoli.

Refusing to eat meat

Meat contains protein and iron, but many toddlers refuse to eat it because of its tough, chewy texture and strong taste.

If you want your toddler to get their daily serving of protein (for example, 80g cooked chicken or 65g cooked beef from lean meat) but you’re finding it challenging:

start small. Offer leaner, lighter-tasting meats in small portions that are easy to chew, such as minced chicken or slow-cooked meat
involve your toddler in meal preparation. Ask them to choose the meat for dinner and get their help to prepare it.

There are also alternatives you can offer as you work on overcoming their meat aversion. Eggs, tofu, beans, lentils and fish are also high in protein.

Issues with chewing and swallowing and food aversion can be symptoms of underlying medical conditions, so consult your GP or childc and family health nurse if your child’s fussy eating behavior persists beyond the toddler and pre-school years.

Provided by The Conversation

Image supplied by Freepik

Temper tantrums – Helping children learn to regulate emotions

Nov 6, 2024 | I'm a Parent, I'm a Teacher, ILT Blog

Tantrums are part of growing up and show how children struggle to handle strong emotions. How caregivers manage these outbursts however, can affect children’s emotional development.

Frontiers reports on a study in which a team of researchers investigated how giving children digital devices acting as “digital pacifiers” to avoid or manage tantrums may not be the best solution. They can impact on children’s development of anger management skills and consequently fail to learn to regulate their emotions.

The researchers also stressed the importance of letting children experience negative emotions and the crucial role parents play in the process.

Self-regulation involves emotional, mental and behavioural responses to certain situations. Children learn much about this during their early years of life. Some of these behaviours are about children’s ability to choose a deliberate response over an automatic one. This is known as effortful control, which is learned mainly through children’s relationship with their parents.

In recent years, giving children digital devices, or ‘screens’ to control their responses to emotions, especially if they’re negative, has become common. This study shows that children who are regularly given a digital device to calm them fail to learn to regulate their emotions Dr Veronika Konok, the lead researcher, writes that if parents regularly offer a digital device to their child to calm them or to stop a tantrum, the child won’t learn to regulate their emotions. “This leads to more severe emotion-regulation problems, specifically, anger management problems, later in life.”

More devices, less control

While giving a child a device to distract them is an easy and effective way to stop tantrums, in the long run, the practice has little benefit. The researchers carried out an assessment in 2020 and a follow-up one a year later. More than 300 parents of children aged between two and five years old completed a questionnaire that assessed child and parent media use.

They found that when parents used digital emotion regulation more often, children showed poorer anger and frustration management skills a year later. Children who were given devices more often as they experienced negative emotions also showed less effortful control at the follow-up assessment.

They concluded that tantrums cannot be cured by digital devices but children have to learn how to manage their negative emotions for themselves. For this, they need the help of their parents rather than a device.

How to support children

The researchers also found that poorer baseline anger management skills meant that children were given digital devices more often as a management tool, rather like a vicious circle. The more frequently parents used devices to calm their children, the more pre-existing issues escalated.

It is important not to avoid situations that could be frustrating to the child, the researchers pointed out. Instead, it is recommended that parents coach their children through difficult situations, help them recognize their emotions, and teach them to handle them.

To equip parents of children with anger management problems for success, it is important that they receive support, the researchers said. For example, health professionals working with families could provide information on how parents can help their children manage their emotions without giving them tablets or smartphones.

Image supplied by Freepik.

More information: Cure for tantrums? Longitudinal associations between parental digital emotion regulation and children’s self-regulatory skills, Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2024). DOI: 10.3389/frcha.2024.1276154

Fun games for developing brains

Oct 30, 2024 | I'm a Parent, I'm a Teacher, ILT Blog

If you’re a savvy parent who doesn’t allow children to turn instantly to screens for their entertainment in free time, sometimes it is useful to suggest games to play. Movement games are beneficial because, apart from being fun, they help to ensure that important brain areas and motor skills are developed.

Remember that not all movement is beneficial – if disorganised, rapid movements were to result in efficient brain ‘wiring’, our hyperactive children would be amazingy capable!

This post will suggest some bilateral movements.

Bilateral movements involve both sides of the body working simultaneously. They are usually seen early on in life. When our babies learn to clap their hands together they are showing the development of these movements. After learning to use both hands simultaneously, the feet learn to work together, allowing us to jump. The whole body becomes involved when we do jumping jacks. These movements are natural movements and good to start with because they come easily and naturally to most children. The ability to use both sides of the body in gross motor tasks plays a great part in developing the young child’s brain.

Jumping to the four winds: The child, on your call, jumps with both feet forwards, sideways and backwards (while facing forwards). Encourage fluid body movements. You can introduce the concept of North, South, East, West if you like, or use Left and Right if you want to reinforce directionality.
Half a caterpillar: This movement is done to four counts. (a) The child places her hands on the floor; (b) she pushes (or walks) her feet out until she is resting her weight on her straight arms with her legs straight out behind her (with their weight resting on the toes); (c) she brings her feet back to her hands on the floor; (d) she transfers weight to her feet, raises her torso and stands up with hands on hips. Repeat.
Stepping stones: For this, you need some ‘stepping stones’ which you can make by taping sheets of paper (or plastic, or carpet squares) on the carpet, tiled floor or area outside. (a) The child jumps from one square to the next with both feet in the same square. Encourage body control and balance and work towards the child being able to land on both feet together. You should hear a single sound when the child lands, rather than two sounds following. (b) The child jumps with right foot in right square and left foot in left square. (c) The child jumps with right foot in right square and left foot in left square backwards. (d) The child moves from square to square with a double jump in each square. Try jumping with your child, if necessary holding his hand. Call out: “Big jump, little mump, big jump, little jump” etc. You might want to jump to the next square on a ‘big jump’ and then jump in the square for the ‘little jump’. (e) The child does a double jump backwards and continues to the end of the squares. Make sure that both feet land on each square at the same time.
Big balloons: (a) Hold your child’s hands (or have children hold hands in a circle) and huddle very closely together. Start blowing up the balloon and blow and blow and blow until your imaginary balloon is fully inflated and you and the child(ren) are further apart, with arms outstretched and raised. Have the child pop the balloon by calling out “POP”, causing the ‘balloon’ to shrink back to its original, deflated size. (b) The child becomes a single balloon and you blow him up with a puff, puff, puff until he is light and airy. Then POP him, and he deflates, becoming a crumpled heap on the floor.
Jumping game: Chant (or sing) the following words, having the child follow along with the movements:

‘Big jump, little jump, turn around.

‘Big jump, little jump, touch the ground.

‘Big jump, little jump, give your legs a slap.

‘Big jump, little jump, give the ground a clap.

‘Big jump, little jump, put your hands in your lap.

Other movements can be added to the above list. Think of Jumping Jacks, learning to Hula Hoop, skipping rope and so on. These are all excellent developmental movements.

Image supplied by Freepik.

What are the keys to raising secure children?

Oct 22, 2024 | I'm a Parent, I'm a Teacher, ILT Blog

Children need to feel securely attached to parents or caregivers. Attachment Theory is concerned with the strong emotional bond that children develop with those who care for them and stresses the importance of a positive attachment for good academic achievement, the ability to learn efficiently, social development, emotional regulation and a general sense of well-being in children.

Clearly we would all want our children to feel securely attached but how do we achieve this? Audrey-Ann Deneault and Sheri Madigan, writing for The Conversation, confirmed in a recent study that when parents’ behaviour shows more sensitivity to children’s needs, their child is far more likely to develop secure attachment.

Being present and attentive

Throughout the growing years, children face different situations where they need support from their parents. For example, infants may cry because they are hungry, uncomfortable or afraid of something. Older children may scrape their knee falling off their bike or fear a monster under the bed. A sensitive parent will notice when their child needs attention and responds promptly to comfort and reassure the child.

An insensitive parent may not notice that their child is in need, or may not feel the need to support them. This could happen for multiple reasons. Their attention may be drawn elsewhere: they may be preoccupied with work or personal issues or their phones; they may also have a history of being insensitively parented and lack the knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to their child’s cues effectively.

Being sensitive fosters trust and security
Their study, published in Psychological Bulletin, highlights how sensitive and responsive parenting behaviours are key ingredients to achieving secure attachment for children of all ages and both genders.

Sensitive behaviours teach children that they can rely on their parent in moments of need and trust them to help, which fosters secure attachment.
Children’s sense of secure attachment with their parents or first caregivers is also the foundation for relationships with many other caregivers as children grow up, such as grandparents and teachers.

Many people may think of mothers when it comes to comforting a distressed child. However, their study emphasises that sensitive parenting matters for mothers and fathers alike. Being able to recognize and respond to a child’s needs is about being attentive and caring for the child, and this can be achieved by any caregiver.

Strategies to be more sensitive

Here are four strategies to help you be more sensitive.

1. Recognize children’s signals. Try to watch children and pick up on their signals of interest or need. Children signal their needs differently based on their age. For example, babies cry, whimper or grimace to signal their needs. Babies also babble to show their interest in making sounds and to have those sounds be repeated back to them. Older children may cry, openly state their needs or refer to physical symptoms that may signal needs. It’s important to remember that all children are different, and it may take some time and patience to recognize each child’s specific signals.

2. Respond to children’s signals. Once you recognize the child’s signals, respond. It’s like playing a game of tennis—when a child cries or babbles, they are serving the ball. Your job is to watch that ball, and then respond by returning that serve back over the net. This back and forth exchange, often called “serve and return” interactions, fosters secure attachment and positive child development.

3. Respect children’s pace. It’s important to let the child take the lead. Allow the child set the pace and direction when you interact with them. For example, a small child might want to stop and inspect every rock or flower on a short walk, which might seem slow or dull to a parent, but is a fascinating adventure to a small child whose brain is rapidly developing. By letting children take the lead during play, encouraging their exploration and commenting on what they are interested in, you are helping them understand their world better.

4. Be kind to yourself. Caregivers can sometimes experience pressure to be the “perfect parent.” However, it can sometimes be difficult to respond sensitively when we are feeling stressed or pulled in all directions. So, while we aim for consistency in our caregiving responses, it’s also important to be kind to ourselves and understand that we are human too.

Provided by The Conversation.
Image provided by Freepik.

What are possible causes of childrens’ concentration problems?

Oct 16, 2024 | I'm a Parent, I'm a Teacher, ILT Blog

Teachers have so many roles to play and balls to juggle that life can seem overwhelming for much of the time. Added to their load is the expectation that they have to be able to meet the needs of children with a wide variety of abilities and challenges. No wonder they feel unraveled by the end of term!

But is there something they can do to perhaps better understand the causes of the frustrating behaviours they have to deal with in classrooms every day? When children continually daydream, fail to listen, seem to be unable to follow simple instructions and are incapable of completing any work, it is understandable that their thoughts turn to ‘ADHD’. Social media also continues to emphasise the number of children diagnosed with ADHD in various countries so it seems logical to conclude that the child in their class is yet another with the disorder. But perhaps they’re making a mistake.

South Africa has one of the highest rates in the world of prescribing medication for ADHD – even higher than the USA. Parents are lamenting that sometimes a third of their child’s class is on some or other psychostimulant or other brain-altering drug to control difficult behaviour.

It is easy to believe that ADHD is a widespread mental disorder but that is a fallacy. In our work, Integrated Learning Therapy practitioners and teachers who have studied with us see how other underlying causes can be ignored in favour of an ‘easy’ diagnosis, with a seemingly quick fix of a drug to quieten children down and calm the classroom. When we take the time and the trouble to investigate more closely, we have found there are many other causes for children’s inability to behave appropriately and learn efficiently.

Our approach finds support around the world, where there is far greater emphasis on finding out why a child behaves in certain ways or fails to learn rather than accepting the symptoms. So many underlying causes can cause identical symptoms – and the actual incidence of ‘real’ ADHD is far, far lower than commonly believed

Some of these causes are due to neurodevelopmental problems, meaning that brain development did not proceed optimally. These we can identify and correct. Other causes are linked to nutrition intolerances and poor diets. Others may be due to lifestyle, anxiety and so on.

My fervent wish is that teachers could be better equipped with the knowledge and skills to understand what lies beneath the surface. We see the iceberg, but have no understanding of what is invisible to us below the level of the water.

This is why Integrated Learning Therapy (ILT) offers in-service courses designed to help teachers gain this knowledge. Our eco-systemic approach has been helping children for nearly twenty years now to shed the label of ADHD and other incorrect diagnoses. Teachers who train with us stop insisting that children have a mental condition and pushing parents towards medications. Schools have made changes to tuck shops and lunch boxes too and even added brief periods of movement to help children’s behaviour improve. This is the natural, sensible and intelligent approach to the torrent of behavioural challenges we experience in the classrooms.

Our courses are accredited with SACE so in addition to valuable, add-on knowledge, you gain CPTD points. ILT 1 will earn you 14 points.

In the words of a fellow teacher: “Integrated Learning Therapy should be compulsory for all teacher training courses. I’m really seeing children with new eyes these days!”

Image supplied by Freepik.

Can you help your child to enjoy maths?

Oct 9, 2024 | I'm a Parent, I'm a Teacher, ILT Blog

I attended a talk on the magic and mysteries of numbers recently. The presenter gave fascinating insights to the world of mathematics but admitted that too many people are wary of maths and tend to avoid the subject. It seems as though children need encouraging to look at the world of numbers with enjoyment rather than fear. How can you help?

Recently Dr Melania Alvarez of the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences and University of British Columbia Department of Mathematics, and Dr Lindsey Daniels, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Mathematics were asked how we can help children succeed at maths. Their answers to key questions are given below.

Why do you think some young people are scared of math?

MA: Most children like math when they are very young, but as they hear from their teachers, parents and people around them that math is hard or difficult, a fear of math or anxiety sets in.

It’s important for parents to instead talk about the importance of math and how fun and interesting it can be.

LD: One of the issues for students leaving high school and entering university is uncertainty. At university, classes are much bigger and the pace is often faster.

What can parents do to set their children up for math success?

MA: Parents can expose their children to fun and interesting math activities at all ages. For instance, did you know you can earn a living doing origami for NASA?

There are a lot of games you can play, and they don’t have to cost money. For example, when you’re out driving, use the numbers on license plates to get to a specific number. We’ve put together a resource with more of these sorts of games.

Lead by example and show an interest in math. When children see their parents reading, they read. Math is the same. Teach them how to think like a mathematician by asking them, how did you use math today?

LD: It’s important to be consistent. Math is like stacking LEGOs—it’s OK if there’s one missing brick when building a wall, but if there are multiple missing bricks, it will crumble. We want strong foundations before moving on to new concepts.

Be a cheerleader for your child: If they come home with a low test score, help them identify what topics they need to work on and a successful study strategy for moving forward. Everyone has gotten a bad grade—even those of us with Ph.D.s in math! It’s an opportunity to identify where there’s a missing brick and plug that gap.

How can parents help young people heading to university?

LD: Parents can support their kids in asking for help, whether that’s from the instructor, the teaching assistant or the math help center on campus, including UBC’s center. Offer to go with them, or to watch some YouTube videos like Numberphile and 3Blue1Brown and take notes together.

Encourage your child to set themselves up for success: They should attend class, take notes, go to office hours, find a study strategy that works for them and apply it consistently. This will look different for every student. It might take a term or two, so it’s best to start figuring this out early.

A great strategy is to ask them to teach the concept or terminology to you, because to coherently explain something, you have to really know it. Ask with enthusiasm to show you’re interested.

What can parents do if they notice their child is struggling?

MA: Making mistakes is part of learning. Talk about the mistake and work on it together to find a way forward.

LD: It’s 100-per-cent OK to tell your kid, “I don’t know, but I’m going to start asking questions.”

Validate your child’s feeling: It’s OK that this is challenging. Offer to work through a problem together, or find an easier problem to tackle first. Write out questions together for their teacher. And ask about available resources at school you can look at together.

Provided by University of British Columbia.

Image supplied by Freepik.

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