Feeding Workshop STM Quiz

Your child only eats one brand of chicken nuggets. What is the best next step if you want them to eventually eat homemade roast chicken?

• Remove the nuggets and only offer roast chicken
  
  

• Hide the roast chicken inside the nuggets

• Gradually introduce a similar food, like homemade breaded chicken strips

• Force them to eat roast chicken with rewards

Answer explanation

This follows the food chaining method: introduce foods with similar texture, flavour, or appearance gradually

Why should you avoid using a tablet or TV during mealtimes?

• It makes the child hyperactive
  

• It distracts from the sensory and learning experience of eating

• It helps them eat more food

• It improves posture

Answer explanation

Eating is a multisensory learning process. Screens reduce awareness of food's taste, texture, and smell, and limit opportunities for children to practice food-related skills and social interactions. We want encourage mindful, present eating.

What is the learning plate used for?

• To put dessert as a reward

• To trick the child into eating disliked foods

• To allow exposure to non-preferred foods without pressure

• To separate food from utensils

Answer explanation

The learning plate is a safe space for new or non-preferred foods. Children are not expected to eat from it — only to tolerate, look at, or touch the food as a first step toward comfort and eventual eating. It’s exposure without pressure.

Which of the following is an appropriate movement break before mealtime to help with sitting tolerance?

• Watching cartoons

• Playing video games

• Jumping jacks or spinning in a circle

• Drinking water

Answer explanation

Movement activities help children regulate their sensory systems, making it easier to sit and attend during mealtime. These kinds of activities improve posture and alertness in children who need extra sensory input.

Your child smells food and gags. What should you do?

• Stop offering that food forever

• Move back to a less challenging step in the Steps to Eating hierarchy

• Insist they try a bite

• Only offer liquids

Answer explanation

Gagging shows the child is overwhelmed. Moving to a previous step (like just looking at or being near the food- tolerating the food around them) allows them to stay engaged without distress. We want to emphasize a step-by-step approach, not pushing too far too fast.

How can you support a child who dislikes bits in their food to texture?

• Force them to eat textured foods

• Use food play activities to gradually introduce texture

• Stick to only smooth purées

• Add sugar to textured foods

Answer explanation

Food play helps children become familiar with new textures in a low-pressure way. Touching or interacting with textured foods outside of meals reduces anxiety and builds tolerance at their own pace.

What does spitting out food show during feeding development?

• Poor manners

• A sign of defiance

• A normal part of learning about food orally

• Lack of appetite

Answer explanation

Spitting is part of the oral-motor learning process. It shows the child is trying the food and needs a way to safely explore without swallowing. We want to emphasize that this is progress, not failure — it’s oral exploration!

If a child can touch food to their lips but not eat it, which stage of the Steps to Eating are they in?

• Smells

• Touch

• Interacts with

• Taste

Answer explanation

Touching food to the lips, tongue, or teeth is part of the Taste stage — they are engaging with the food on a sensory level. They may not be chewing or swallowing yet, but they’re building familiarity and comfort.

Which of these is a non-pressuring way to encourage trying new food?

• “You have to take one bite or no dessert.”

• “Let’s explore this new food together. You don’t have to eat it.”

• “If you eat this, I’ll buy you a toy.”

• “You’re being silly. Just try it.”

Answer explanation

Pressure can increase anxiety and refusal. This phrasing reduces stress, builds trust, and allows the child to feel safe while exploring food. Choice and control are essential for progress.

Why is it important to let children clean up after eating?

• It teaches responsibility only

• It helps them forget unpleasant foods

• It supports desensitization and reinforces positive food interaction

• It reduces mess

Answer explanation

Clean-up can be part of the feeding process. Handling leftover food, wiping plates, or washing hands gives more opportunities for exposure and sensory interaction, helping move the child up the steps to eating.