What Is Systematic Desensitization?
Systematic desensitization is a therapy technique used to reduce food-based anxiety by very slowly and systematically exposing a child to new foods. This allows the child to gradually acclimate to a new food not just through taste, but by sight, smell, and touch.
How Does It Work?
Systematic desensitization is widely favored over other approaches because the focus is placed on not “flooding the senses” in a way that would cause anxiety or an adverse response. It is a gentler approach that, over time, minimizes and eventually replaces feelings of angst with more favorable emotions, enabling a child to feel safe to ultimately try a new food. It is a primary component of the foundational core principles of the SOS Approach to Feeding, one of the most well-regarded evidence-based approaches to feeding intervention. It has been proven to help with children who range from being “picky” to having a pediatric feeding disorder. It is also effective when working with children diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder.
Can I Use This Approach at Home?
If you suspect your child has feeding difficulties, it is always best to have them evaluated to be sure. This would require meeting with your child’s pediatrician first to determine if feeding difficulties are impacting your child’s overall nutrition, growth, and health, and then receiving a thorough feeding evaluation. Once working with a qualified provider, systematic desensitization can be utilized both in sessions and by the caregiver when attempting to introduce new foods at home. Learning how to do this requires parent/family
participation in both sessions and designated parent/family training meetings.
Will My Child Always Need This Approach to Accept a New
Food?
Although no two children are the same, we often see significant improvement in a child’s ability to accept a new food once the anxiety surrounding the food is decreased. It is difficult to assess if this approach will always be needed when new foods are presented, since the severity and circumstances surrounding each case are so widely different. Given the neuroplasticity of the brain, the expectation is that with enough systematic exposure, new neural pathways will be created to enable improvement and mastery of feeding skills. This is no different than learning any new skill. Eating is a learned skill, just like walking, talking, and riding a bicycle. As a reminder, change, although hard, is possible. We are here to help. Please feel free to send an inquiry to schedule a consultation for guidance.
Author: Lisa Jiannetto-Surrusco, MA, CCC-SLP
Reach for the Stars Pediatric Speech-Language-Feeding Therapy
Lisa Jiannetto-Surrusco, MA, CCC-SLP, is the owner and director of Reach for the Stars LLC, a pediatric practice that specializes in speech, language, and feeding disorders, with two locations in Central NJ. She provides direct therapy and evaluation services. She also provides clinical consultative services within the NYC Metropolitan Area and is the writer and presenter of a multitude of seminar graduate courses presented nationally. She is also a writer and presenter for several ASHA Accredited courses.
