Many children with special health care needs have nutrition challenges due to factors such as limited mobility, feeding problems and altered metabolisms. These factors can affect weight, growth and nutrient needs. Ensuring that these children receive adequate nutrition and eat well-balanced and nutritious foods takes a collaborative effort between parents, nutritionists, doctors, and child care providers. This month we highlight some of the nutrition resources available in our Disability Resource Library.
Featured Resources
All featured resources are available to borrow from the DRL
To browse more resources, click here.
Nutrition at home; for parents and family members
DVD Childhood Nutrition: Preventing Obesity Vol.1 Feeding Your Baby by
InJoy Health Education (23 minutes run time)
This program gives parents and caregivers the tools they need to make the best nutritional choices for children starting at birth. Volume 1: Feeding Your Baby includes topics such as: Breastmilk and Formula, Starting Solids, Baby Food Basics and Self Feeding. Learning how to read nutrition fact food labels, and the latest American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on food choking prevention. Our library also has Volume 2:Young Children Eating Right.
Feeding and Nutrition for the Child with Special Needs
by Marsha Dunn Klein, Med, OTR/L
Clinicians and interventionists that are in need of reference materials to supplement their therapy and answer questions from parents, will find this 600 page reference binder is the perfect resource. These reproducible pages help you provide parents/caregivers with the feeding and nutrition information they need. Each illustrated handout provides parents with information on techniques, troubleshooting, suppliers of adapted equipment and recipes for specific nutritional needs.
Check out Feeding and Nutrition for the Child with Special Needs.
The Everything Parent's Guide to the Overweight Child
by Paula Ford-Martin (Technical Review by Vincent Iannelli, M.D.)
Are you worried about your child's health and don't know what to do? Is your child's weight due to overeating? Lack of exercise? Genetics?
The Everything Parent's Guide to the Overweight Child provides you with valuable insight on what causes children to become overweight and how to help them change their eating habits and become more physically active. Author Paula Ford-Martin helps you prevent emotional overeating, increase family awareness, and track progress with journal entry pages.
Nutrition in the classroom; for teachers
Bee-bim-Bop! (Children's Book)
by Linda Sue Park
Bee-bim bop (the name translates as “mix-mix rice”) is a traditional Korean dish of rice topped, and then mixed, with meat and vegetables. In bouncy rhyming text, a hungry child tells about helping her mother make bee-bim bop: shopping, preparing ingredients, setting the table, and finally sitting down with her family to enjoy a favorite meal. Includes author's own recipe.
Nutrition Activities for Preschoolers
by Debby Cryer
Preschoolers are naturally interested in the food they eat. Nutrition Activities for Preschoolers takes advantage of this interest to provide an ongoing, everyday emphasis on good health and nutrition. Teachers will find plenty of ideas and support on how to create fun and engaging learning centers on the topic of nutrition using blocks, books, pretend play, music and art.
Feeding Challenges in Young Children
by Deborah A. Bruns and Stacy D.Thompson
This excellent resource guide gives early childhood educators specific, practical research-based guidance on resolving feeding issues in children from birth to 5 years. Authors Bruns and Thompson understand the entire process of feeding development, diverse cultural backgrounds and risk factors. Learn the basics of screening & assessment procedures. Develop individualized feeding plans. Strengthen collaboration and monitor feeding progress. This book also includes 50 pages of printable tools and handouts.
Navigation Tips
Picky Eaters
Children with special health care needs can be picky eaters but as parents & child care providers we understand that a healthy brain requires healthy food. It's a struggle to encourage kids to eat the good-for-us foods with the proper nutrition. Here are some tips worth trying.
Set family meal guidelines like when the next snack can be and what foods are available. Get creative and know how to "hide" healthy foods. Leafy greens and fruits can be mixed into delicious smoothies.
Know that supplements aren't cheating. Consult your pediatrician or nutritionist about combining protein, vitamins, and mineral supplements with your child's meals.
A Child's Champion
Meet Angel Casto, a registered dietitian nutritionist, at the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities. Angel specializes in providing nutrition care and intervention for children with special health care needs. She understands that a child who is well-nourished has more energy to participate in social activities and is better able to learn new things. Angel works in collaboration with the West Virginia Children with Special Health Care Needs Program (CSHCN) to assist parents/caretakers in maintaining their child's good health. When asked what she likes most about her job, Angel responded, "I love my clinic days when I can get ahold of these kids who are all smiles and full of love!"
Angel Casto is a child's champion. You can contact Angel through the Paths for Parents Program.
Paths for Parents Program
Navigating systems as a parent or caregiver of a child with disabilities can be confusing and overwhelming. The Paths for Parents program provides information and support through three unique services in effort to empower parents in becoming real partners within the medical home.Services in this program include: The Disability Resource Library, Parent Network Specialists, and Nutrition Services. To learn more, visit http://p4p.cedwvu.org/.
The Disability Resource Library (DRL) provides educational information and resource materials to individuals with disabilities, family members, and practitioners throughout the state of West Virginia.Resources available to loan include:
- Fiction and Non-fiction Books (children, adolescent and adult)
- Reference Materials
- DVDs
- Assistive technology devices & adapted toys
- Teaching and training curricula
- Demonstration kits and Medical models
- Disability Awareness Puppets
With two locations and knowledgeable staff, the Disability Resource Library is committed to supporting parents, educators, and the general public in finding appropriate, quality materials and services related to disability.The libraries are free of charge for the general public throughout the state and provide an online request and mail-out service.
The Disability Resource Library is a collaborative project between the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health, West Virginia Birth to Three, West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Special Program, and the West Virginia University Center for Excellence in Disabilities (CED).
To subscribe or unsubscribe, email Lori Heginbotham at lori.heginbotham@hsc.wvu.edu.