“Don’t play with your food!”
It’s a phrase almost all of us heard growing up. It’s impolite. It isn’t good manners. But what if playing with food is actually the secret key to overcoming food aversion?
For so many families in the autism community, mealtime isn’t just stressful, it can feel like a daily battleground. Traditionally, severe food aversion in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been met with rigid, high-pressure protocols. You might see a child denied access to their “safe foods” until they take a bite of a new food, regardless of how much distress they show
The old-school mantra was often “when in doubt, follow through.” But here’s the truth: when we force it, we take an already scary task and make it even more overwhelming. Eating doesn’t become an independent skill; it becomes a dreaded chore. At AB Spectrum, we saw these barriers firsthand, and we watched the limited progress they produced. So, we decided to flip the script.
Introducing “Food Exploration”
Instead of pressure and demands, we introduced a new activity at every snack time called Food Exploration. For the first five minutes of snack time, we present our clients with foods outside of their usual comfort zones. But instead of handing them a fork or a spoon, we hand them unexpected tools: clothespins, mini tongs, Q-tips, popsicle sticks, and more!
Instead of demanding a bite, we show them how to play. We show them how a clothespin chomping on a piece of broccoli can suddenly look like Baby Shark. Three grapes skewered on a Q-tip become a snowman, of course. Yogurt and hummus turn into paint, and cucumber slices transform snack time into a relaxing spa experience. There is truly no limit to what food can do when you look at it through a different lens.
Driven by Child-Led Learning
Without ever placing a demand to take a bite, and without making the food environment aversive, we began to see magic happen. As the kids play, pressure gives way to curiosity. They start to wonder, “How else can I explore this?” then “What does it smell like?” and eventually… “What does it taste like?” By making food fun and honoring their cues when they signal they are “all done,” we have seen a complete shift in our clients’ relationships with eating. This philosophy is deeply rooted in the Reggio Emilia approach to therapy that we practice at ABSpectrum. As adults, we provide the supportive structure, but we follow the lead of the child, transforming their natural interests into unique learning opportunities.
Bringing the Magic Home
While watching this progress in the clinic is wonderful, the true value of Food Exploration is how it translates to real life. It opens the door to essential childhood and family experiences. We love partnering with parents to bring these ideas into the home, sharing how to turn everyday household items into tools for food play. And through this collaboration, we’ve heard some of the most meaningful success stories of our careers.
One mother shared that her son was able to sit down and eat a Thanksgiving meal with his family for the very first time, simply because she provided different, playful tools for him to eat with.
Another caregiver shared through tears that her child ate birthday cake at his fifth birthday party, something he had never been willing to try before. She told us, “It feels so funny being happy that my kid wants to eat cake. Most parents wouldn’t understand that. But seeing him get to experience something all the kids around him experienced… that was everything to me.”
At the end of the day, that is why we do what we do. By trading rigidity for play, we aren’t just teaching kids how to eat, we are helping families make memories together, one playful bite at a time.