At Verbal Beginnings, supporting a child’s health means looking at the whole picture, including well, let’s face it: Going to the bathroom. Why GI Health Matters Children we serve at Verbal Beginnings can often experience overlapping needs: autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing differences, food allergies, and gastrointestinal conditions. In our feeding clinic, Healthy Beginnings, one…
By: Ben Sarcia Mealtime can be tricky, especially when children on the autism spectrum face feeding challenges. While picky eating is common among all children, it can be even more pronounced in children with autism, leading to difficulties around food and nutrition. In this blog, we’ll explore what drives these mealtime challenges, focusing on food…
By Benjamin Sarcia, BCBA – Clinical Director of Healthy Beginnings At Healthy Beginnings (HB), we recently worked with a second grader who was dealing with a challenging condition, rumination. Rumination is when someone voluntarily vomits after eating or drinking, and for parents, this can be very alarming. Not only can it make meals stressful, but…
Verbal Beginnings wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving filled with abundance and bright moments. We hope you have a wonderful day celebrating all there is to be thankful for! To help make the day extra special, we have some food tips, crafts, and ways to donate in your community! The most memorable Thanksgiving traditions…
Many families have a veggie-loathing, chicken nuggets-only, no-foods-touching, picky eater in their midst. But families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are even more likely than most to experience mealtime struggles. It’s estimated that 44% to 89% of children with ASD have feeding challenges such as food selectivity, disruptive feeding behaviors, gagging, or overeating.…
In today’s BCBA feature you’ll meet Clinical Supervisor Sarah Wright as she talks about her passion for being a supervisor, and why is she thankful to work at a place like Verbal Beginnings. What’s the most rewarding part of your role at VB? I really enjoy family training and collaborating with other providers. It…
Insights about telehealth services for feeding therapy by Verbal Beginnings’ Director of Healthy Beginnings, Ben Sarcia. As our news and social media channels are saturated with updates regarding COVID-19, one thing has become immediately clear: We are all going to be at home for longer than we had initially thought, so why not take advantage…
Marta didn’t eat very many foods, which is how I came to know her. She liked goldfish, but they had to be plain yellow goldfish otherwise she wouldn’t touch them. Marta would eat some fruits, but no vegetables. She used to eat pasta and French fries, but now she wouldn’t touch them. Marta’s refusal also…
When I first met Kyler, he had been entirely dependent on his feeding tube for nearly four years. As an infant, he didn’t eat very well and often times, he wouldn’t stay awake long enough to consume enough to grow. The feeding tube was supposed to be a temporary solution after an episode of dehydration,…