Brittyn Coleman is a Registered Dietitian, Autism Nutrition Expert, and the Founder of the Nourishing Autism Collective. She helps parents of children with autism to nourish their kids confidently in a gradual, sustainable way. Through her practice, she has been able to support thousands of parents to expand their child’s diet in a sensory-friendly way and help them get the nutrients they need to feel their best and thrive.
Download FREE Nutrition Guide: https://autismdietitian.ck.page/guide
Join Brittyn’s community at: https://www.nourishingautism.co
Brittyn’s Website: https://www.autismdietitian.com/
Follow Brittyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autismdietitian/
We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3
Brought To You By Harkla
This podcast is brought to you by Harkla. Our mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives. We accomplish this through high-quality sensory products, & child development courses.
Podcast listeners get 10% off their first order at Harkla with the discount code "sensory". Head to Harkla.co/sensory to start shopping now.
Links
All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram
Harkla Website
Harkla YouTube
Harkla Instagram
Brittyn Coleman is a Registered Dietitian, Autism Nutrition Expert, and the Founder of the Nourishing Autism Collective. She helps parents of children with autism to nourish their kids confidently in a gradual, sustainable way. Through her practice, she has been able to support thousands of parents to expand their child’s diet in a sensory-friendly way and help them get the nutrients they need to feel their best and thrive.
Download FREE Nutrition Guide: https://autismdietitian.ck.page/guide
Join Brittyn’s community at: https://www.nourishingautism.co
Brittyn’s Website: https://www.autismdietitian.com/
Follow Brittyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autismdietitian/
We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3
Brought To You By Harkla
This podcast is brought to you by Harkla. Our mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives. We accomplish this through high-quality sensory products, & child development courses.
Podcast listeners get 10% off their first order at Harkla with the discount code "sensory". Head to Harkla.co/sensory to start shopping now.
Links
All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram
Harkla Website
Harkla YouTube
Harkla Instagram
So I really want to make sure when I first start with somebody that we're hitting the essential nutrients first. We're balancing their plate. We are starting to expand because I want to add before we subtract. Because a lot of people come to me and they're like, Okay, my child needs five foods. They're all gluten, and I want to go gluten free. And I'm like, Well, we have to add before we take these foods out, because they won't just eat when they're hungry. So I walk them through that process.
Rachel:I'm Rachel.
Jessica:And I'm Jessica. And this is all things sensory by
Rachel:We are both certified occupational therapy assistants Harkla. and together with Harkla, we are on a mission to empower parents, therapists and educators to help raise confident and strong children of all abilities.
Jessica:On this podcast, we chat about all things sensory, diving into special needs, occupational therapy, parenting, self care, overall health and wellness and so much more.
Rachel:We're here to provide raw, honest and fun strategies, ideas and information for parents, therapists and educators as well as other professionals to implement into daily life.
Jessica:Thank you so much for joining us.
Rachel:Hey, there, welcome back to all things sensory by Harkla. So happy to have you back for another podcast episode. We've got an exciting interview today with someone who we have followed on Instagram for a long time and she is just a wealth of knowledge and has a really unique story.
Jessica:Yes, so this is Britton Coleman, and she is a registered dietitian, autism nutrition expert, and the founder of the nourishing autism collective. Britton helps parents of children with autism to nourish their kids confidently, in a gradual, sustainable way. Through her practice, she has been able to support 1000s of parents to expand their child's diet in a sensory friendly way, and help them get the nutrients they need to feel their best and thrive.
Rachel:Britton was a wealth of knowledge. We didn't have enough time to chat with her about all the things we wanted to, but she has a ton of resources for you that we will chat about at the end of this interview. But let's go ahead and hop in and meet Britton. Hi, Brandon, how are you today?
Britton Coleman:I'm doing well. I'm excited to be here.
Rachel:Thank you for coming on.
Jessica:We're excited to have you and before we jump in, we're going to ask you our five secret questions that you know nothing about.
Britton Coleman:Okay, perfect.
Rachel:But you have been listening to our podcasts, you might know one of them.
Britton Coleman:Okay, let's hear it. I'm excited.
Jessica:All right, the first question, who has been your biggest mentor so far in your career?
Britton Coleman:Oh, wow. Okay, so, goodness. I learned so much from so many dietitians online. I don't know that I have one. But honestly, probably my biggest mentor has been my brother and he doesn't know that. So he'll probably be surprised to hear that, but we were just talking about him before we clicked record. But my brother Barrett's on the autism spectrum and I truly believe being his sister has made me a better dietician, because I'm able to understand autism so much better. So even though he's not a professional mentor, by any means, he has really shaped the way that I do my practice and practice as a dietitian. So I would have to say unofficially him, because he's made such a difference for me.
Jessica:Yeah, that's great.
Rachel:Is he gonna listen back to this and be so surprised when he hears it?
Britton Coleman:If I send it to him, he'll be like, Oh, my. I was like, I did not know that.
Jessica:He needs to know.
Britton Coleman:Yeah. Okay.
Rachel:Would you rather be too hot or too cold?
Britton Coleman:Ooh, too hot. That's so easy for me. I do not like being cold. I live in Boulder, Colorado. So like, what am I doing here? It's very cold, but too hot any day and yeah, that was an easy one for me. I guess. I'll go to the beach over being in the snow.
Jessica:Yes, I'm the same way. When it gets into the 100 degrees here. I'm like, This is awesome. I'll take it over it being cold all the time.
Britton Coleman:Yes, I know. My husband, like didn't believe me before we got married. I was like, I will be in the hundreds and be totally fine. He's like you're lying and then it's so true. I'm just like, Oh, I love that sunlight.
Jessica:Alright, next, what is your go to appetizer when you go out to eat?
Britton Coleman:I love some chips and queso. You can't go wrong.
Rachel:Ooh, gueso! Yes!
Britton Coleman:I do love some chips and queso. I would say yeah, that's an easy one. If I see it on the menu, I'm like, hmmm.
Rachel:This is the winner.
Britton Coleman:This is the winner for me as a dietitian. So dietitian stamp on queso.
Jessica:Perfect.
Rachel:Okay, if you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
Britton Coleman:I have a few answers. So I have a golden retriever named Charlie and I love him so much and he's just so happy and loves life so much. Sometimes I just wish I could experience life as him because it's so simplistic. He just has a good time all the time and it's like the best day ever, always. So I would love to spend the day as Charlie. I would also love to be a bird. I would love to fly. I think that would be so
Rachel:I think about that. cool.
Britton Coleman:Go wherever.
Rachel:Love that. I also have a golden retriever and I feel the same way. It's like they're just so unconditionally obsessed with you.
Britton Coleman:Yes, it's so like, stereotypical of them. But it is just golden retrievers. They are just Yeah, Heart of Gold. They're the best.
Rachel:Yeah. So cute.
Jessica:Last one. What is your sensory quirk?
Britton Coleman:Whoo. Well, of course, I'm thinking food. I will search for food. Like usually I'm not craving something because it's sweet or salty. I'm craving it for crunch. So like, sometimes I'll have a long day and I'll just like I need something to crunch on.
Rachel:Yeah.
Britton Coleman:And so I'm like, I think I understand my clients a lot in that sense, because a lot of them do prefer crunchy foods.
Jessica:Sure.
Britton Coleman:I think that really calms my nervous system down as finding something that's crunchy.
Rachel:Yeah.
Britton Coleman:But I have a lot to but that's the one that comes to mind for me.
Rachel:Got to get that proprioception.
Britton Coleman:It's true.
Rachel:I love it. Okay, well, now that everyone knows your deepest, darkest secrets. Tell us who you are, what you do, why you do it, all the beautiful things?
Britton Coleman:Yeah, so I'm a dietician. I specialize in kids on the autism spectrum and I really help support parents and how to expand their child's diet and help them get the right nutrients so that they could feel good. Because when kids feel good, they can focus better and just do their best in school, therapy, and in life, and that's what I want for all of my clients is to feel good. I think a lot of kids don't know what it feels like to feel good, too, because maybe their diet is in a place where they're not getting the nutrients that they need. But they're not able to verbalize that or they don't. It's hard to make that connection even as an adult. So I Yeah, that's really my bread and butter, just helping kids get the nutrients they need and usually that means expanding their diet in the process, in a sensory friendly way. That's a really important piece of what I do.
Jessica:How did you get started in the nutrition field?
Britton Coleman:I think I've always just been interested in it. My mom was a trailblazer when it came to nutrition for autism. So my brother was born in '95, and was diagnosed in'97, or '98 and back then, you didn't know a lot about nutrition for autism. In fact, like the services for autism, in general, were nothing and so she really started with some dietary changes with him. It made a huge difference and so she actually was told, Hey, you might consider trying some of these changes for your other kids if you have any. So I followed a gluten free diet from a really early age and it really helped me when I was younger. I definitely felt better and so I think I was just, I mean, I remember like in first grade, I was reading the back of a chees-its label be like, does this have gluten? But that's a whole nother story. But I think that I've always been interested in that and I think over the years, I've really honed in on what is healthy with nutrition, both physically and mentally. I think that's been a really interesting discovery for me, but it's just something I've always found really interesting. So when I went into school to become a dietitian, just combined the autism piece in there because I knew how important it was for my brother. But it wasn't something that I grew up knowing that I wanted to be when I was older.
Rachel:So when you went to school, for nutrition and to be a dietitian, did you know that you wanted to specialize with autism?
Britton Coleman:I think I did, but I think I did subconsciously. When I first went to school, I was pre-med. I knew that I wanted to go into something medical and then I was like, You know what, I don't want to be in school for a decade or two. And it was like the first day of my sophomore year and I was in the counselor's office trying to figure out what to do. And she's like, well, you sound like you're really interested in nutrition, did you know we had a nutrition program? I had know idea. But it just so lined up that there was one spot available in every prerequisite that I needed on the first day of school. So I was like, Okay, this is meant to be. So ,but I remember starting the nutrition program and everyone was kind of going around what area of nutrition are you interested in and kind of popcorn it? And people were saying diabetes and renal, which is or oncology, a lot of really common areas of nutrition and it got to me and I was like, Oh my gosh, I have no idea kind of panic mode. But then I was like, You know what? Autism is pretty interesting. Like, I'm just going to say that full ability to change my mind if I want to and I did it. I think everyone turned around and looked at me of like, What are you talking about? And it was in that moment, I think my teacher was like, interesting and I think it was in that moment where I realized, okay, if nobody knows what I'm talking about how important it is, because it was so obvious to me.
Rachel:Yeah.
Britton Coleman:I need to do this and it wasn't even like, I don't feel like I have the responsibility to do it. But I love it already and I have that personal connection to it, that when I started digging into it, and I was like, Okay, this is like an obvious yes, for me. Because I really care for it and it's really meaningful to me. And so I was able to really unpack that while I was in school, which I think is really a great opportunity, because I don't think a lot of people know where they want to go when it comes to. I don't know, if you all knew you wanted to go into a specific area of OT, but I think a lot of people end up knowing later on or even after they graduate school.
Jessica:Yeah, for sure.
Rachel:So I'm just curious, as you were going through school, with a focus on autism, were you able to learn about like, Were your teachers able to guide you in that direction or was it a lot of like self taught information?
Britton Coleman:It was both. So I think they didn't know a lot about nutrition for autism either. But so I went to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and at OUHSC, they actually have this program called LEND. I don't know if you've heard of it before? But it stands for Leadership, Education and Neurodevelopmental Disorders and I was able to become the LIND intern for my nutrition program. So it's like a program all across the Health Sciences Center and they have one intern for every college and so there was a nursing intern and there was a medical student. There was OT, speech, there was even a self advocate, a parent advocate, like it was a very cool program. And so through that, when I was in grad school, I really got to hone in on autism. That was like my space. We went, I think it was every Tuesday night for three hours where we would do all of this. We had to have a lot of practice hours, and it was wonderful. So that's where I really honed in my connection and like professional connection to it. But when I was in school and kind of DIYing it because we don't have classes for autism, any paper research paper, I could do any project I could do, then when I was in my graduate program, I did my thesis. I actually just saw on my on this day, like on Facebook, that I found yesterday, my master's thesis and it was called food aversions and nutrient intake and children with autism spectrum disorder. So I was like, that's crazy. That happened yesterday. But so I really DIY'd it and I had thankfully a mentor who was amazing and he really guided me through that. And he had a personal connection to autism and disabilities and was the LINDlike mentor for me. And I think I was really lucky to be able to be in a program who also had opportunities to grow, even though it wasn't like specifically through that program. It was through my college.
Rachel:That's really neat.
Britton Coleman:They have the LEND program all across the US. It's really cool. So anyone listening to this, that maybe as a student and interested, you should definitely look into that.
Rachel:Yeah. Thank you for sharing. We do have a lot of students who are listening too.
Britton Coleman:Awesome.
Jessica:I wanted to go back to your brother, and you mentioned the dietary changes that your mom implemented and I'm curious what those were?
Britton Coleman:So he was a very limited eater from like, very early on, and I mean, it is developmentally appropriate for kids that just 18-24 ish months to become more limited in the foods that they'll eat. But coming out of that stage, I see that many kids on the spectrum are not coming out of that picky eating developmental stage. And same thing with Barrett and so he was always he had maybe five foods. Five safe foods that he
would eat:chicken nuggets, french fries, both from McDonald's, Lay's potato chips, Mott's applesauce, and yogurt. Those were the only things that he would eat and I remember just not understanding why and so my mom enrolled him in feeding therapy. I mean, he was in every therapy. She's for reference. She's actually a psychologist, who specializes in autism before he was born.
Jessica:There you are.
Britton Coleman:So yeah, so she was like, heavily connected. I mean, no one more perfect, knew how to navigate the system and it was hard for her even. I mean, it was just hard getting a diagnosis for him, which is frustrating. But yeah, so feeding therapy was super important for him. He did speech and OT. He worked with a dietitian at that time. So they utilize supplements to help get him the nutrients that he needed while they were working on building of this his diet, which is what I recommend for my clients too. Because we all know feeding is one of those things where you don't just start eating all the foods next week, or next month, it really takes a long time and so to be able to get those nutrients in while we're working on it is really beneficial. Because it can help kids start feeling better and perhaps you can have quicker progress when kids are feeling better. So she really utilized both diet and the supplements for him. And it really did make a difference for him, his focus and speech as well. Everyone's different. So I will say that and it really takes an
Rachel:That's awesome. Wow. So cool that she had that individualized approach. But her team, I think really helped her navigate that. experience.
Britton Coleman:Yeah, yeah.
Rachel:And you said that you went gluten free. So then did the whole family go gluten free?
Britton Coleman:She was to which she actually had Hashimotos and it ended up helping her a lot too. I'm not gluten free anymore and I think there's a lot, but I've dug into my gut a lot and dug into like other reasons as to why would I be sensitive and what are some things that I could potentially work on in my gut. It's been a long process to of unpacking that for myself. But yeah, most of my family was gluten free, which at the time was...
Rachel:So hard.
Britton Coleman:Yeah, I remember being like asking for gluten free alternatives and like, do you mean glucose? Like, no.
Jessica:It wasn't even like a word people recognize.
Britton Coleman:It was not a wordpeople knew. So. I mean, we're talking about a lot about gluten free. I think now, yes, some people can benefit from it. I think that there is such a huge health craze around it. It can be really beneficial for some people, but it's not necessary for every single person to follow a gluten free diet. But you do see some kids on the spectrum do really well following it and it's because they were sensitive in the first place.
Rachel:Yeah. So how do you identify what plan a child should follow, when you have a new client, do you do testing with them? Like, kind of take us on the path of like, a new client reaches out to you. I assume you can work with them virtually, let us know what that looks like.
Britton Coleman:Yeah, so actually, the way that I work with families is a lot different than what you would think for a dietitian. So instead of working with people one on one, I actually support families through a membership site. So I have a membership called the nourishing autism collective. and that is basically a collective of resources for parents to come in get community be able to connect with one another. But also learn my approach when it comes to picky eating, understand what nutrients they need to be having on their plate, how to set up a successful mealtime, routines, I bring in past experts. So they're supported in a different way and so I actually don't see one on one clients anymore. But when I did, I would walk them through a very similar approach that I teach families in my membership. I have something called the roadmap, which is a five step process that walks them through overall diet. I have a step 1.5, which is for picky eating, because not everyone will have a child with a limited diet, but many will. Then we talk through mealtime routine through supplements and then lab testing. So kind of walks them through how to do that. But I think one of the most important things to individualize is to first get down the like very nutrition basics, because I think the issue is a lot of people jump into a gluten or dairy free diet, but their diet wasn't balanced to begin with. They're not getting enough of the core essential nutrients, like maybe not enough calories, or protein, or vitamins, or minerals, and then we have an even further limited diet. Where now we might be seeing symptoms from like nutrient deficiency, or just not a well balanced diet and so I think that's a mistake a lot of people make. So I really want to make sure when I first start with somebody that we're hitting the essential nutrients first. We're balancing their plate. We are starting to expand because I want to add before we subtract. So a lot of people come to me and they're like, Okay, my child needs five foods. They're all gluten, and I want to go gluten free. And I'm like, Well, we have to add before we take these foods out because they won't just eat when they're hungry, which I know we're going to talk about some of this stuff later, but I'll say that again later for sure. So I walked them through that process. So that's what it looks like. Like let's dig in deep to what you're already doing. Kind of make some changes. You don't have to do a full overhaul, but let's understand the things that are really going to be helpful, even if your child does eat just a few foods. How we can organize that and expand and then hone in on what they need.
Jessica:I think that's a really important message too theat it's you want to start by adding foods. Because if the child has very few safe foods, and you take all those safe foods away, they have nothing left. So you have to add to their safe foods before you can take away anything.
Britton Coleman:Really true and the problem I see is that a lot of like popular picky eating advice is just they'll eat when they're hungry. You know, they, if you just take away the unhealthy food, they'll eventually eat something else that's healthier and that just does not apply to kids with sensory processing disorder or autism. Because their sensory needs or sensory aversions don't go away with hunger. Honestly, it gets worse.
Rachel:Yeah.
Britton Coleman:If they're not just going to eat after day five of being hungry, or if there was something else like an oral motor issue. That doesn't resolve with hunger. So it's a lot that we have to dig in and like, educate around this because it's does not work with.
Jessica:And more often than not, these kids don't even understand what their hunger cues feel like so they don't even know what their body is telling them when it comes to hunger and thirst.
Britton Coleman:It's so true. I see a lot of kids that struggle with interoception and like, am I hungry, or like our kids eating for sensory input and not acknowledging fullness cues, as well. And there's so much to dig in there for sure.
Rachel:So it sounds like your program is very much kind of like self-led and very doable for a family who might be a little bit overwhelmed because I feel like that is part of the challenges. Like these families are like, just on their last straw, about to crack, and it's like I need something. And it's so easy for them to work with someone who is like, Okay, do this and this and do this and it's like, ah, like, where do I start. But I feel like your program is a little bit easier to jump in and follow.
Jessica:That's why I created it. Because I think parents are in so many different therapies that just adding on another person of like, yes, I know, diets important, but I have to work on my child not eloping or I have to really work on my child's speech and so we're obviously incredibly important. We got to prioritize those things. But nutrition gets the backburner and that's just how it is. And so I think a lot of people put it off for a long time, because they're worried that it's going to be this really overwhelming, drastic change, and they just don't have the bandwidth for right now. And so that's why I created the membership is to help parents do that. So yeah, I have my roadmap. We have, it's called the inner circle inside, where me and another dietitian are answering questions for families when they come up and then I also host monthly q&a. So I actually have one coming up this week. So if people are struggling through something, want to talk it through, I'm there for whoever wants to show up. Is there a specific, going back to supplements, is there a specific supplement brand that you recommend to families?
Britton Coleman:I try and teach more what we're looking for in a supplement than the actual brand itself, because I have a lot of members in my membership site that are across the world. So I have people in the UK and Australia, in India, that are not going to have access to a lot of the supplements. Even Canada, they're not going to have access to the same brands and so I'm more educated, okay, when it comes to a multivitamin, what do we want, like check, check and check. I want to make sure that it has active forms of vitamin so your child can absorb them a lot easier. Their bodies don't have to do extra work and we see there's some interesting connections between certain genetic mutations that could affect the way they absorbed vitamins. So let's get an active one. Let's make sure we're hitting all the vitamins, all the not all the minerals, but some really key ones.
Jessica:What are the key ones?
Britton Coleman:So I really want kids getting magnesium, zinc, those are like very bare minimum, you actually don't want iron and a multivitamin because it blocks absorption of calcium. So calcium is another one we want in there. But it blocks absorption of other minerals. So it's really common for kids to be iron deficient, but we actually want them to take it at another time of day. So we do not want iron and a multi. Manganese is an important one I die and that those are a few key ones that I would be checking.
Jessica:Is that true for adults, for as far as iron goes? Like if you take an iron supplement, you want it to be at a different time than the other ones?
Britton Coleman:Yep. So iron does not absorb well, especially with calcium. So you wouldn't want to drink a glass of milk and take your iron supplement because you're not going to get very much from it. It also tea just like black tea and coffee, they have tannins in there that are going to block absorption of iron. So if you're taking an iron supplement, you're low in iron, you really want to take it away from coffee or tea. You could take it with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is like irons, besties. So they help each other absorb. So eating like a small man or an orange or taking a vitamin C supplement at the same time as iron can really help you be more efficient with how you absorb it.
Rachel:So fascinating.
Jessica:I think that's super helpful for parents, adults, therapists who are listening to this to better understand that because it's hard to know. There's so many multivitamins out there and like how do you know which one to get? So I think that's super helpful.
Britton Coleman:No, and unfortunately, a lot of the super common ones are yucky, in terms of they just don't have the right nutrients and they have a lot of stuff we don't want in them and they're just marketed to kids.
Rachel:Can you share with us a couple of like the popular brands? Like do we want to go there?
Britton Coleman:I can throw one out there.
Rachel:Yeah, yeah.
Britton Coleman:But then you can decide if you want to cut this or not. Flintstones for me.
Rachel:Oh, yeah. Yeah, Flintstones, we got rid of years ago. Yes. They even have food dye in them, too.
Britton Coleman:I just have so much stuff in there that I'm just like, this is not.
Rachel:Yeah.
Britton Coleman:So we Yeah, Flintstones easy to take for a lot of kids. I took them as a kid their delicious.
Rachel:Oh, yeah. Gosh. Our oor parents. They didn't know any better.
Jessica:It was yeah.
Britton Coleman:So that one I'll throw out as a bust.
Rachel:What about that new one? Hiya? I see that one around a lot.
Britton Coleman:Yeah, I think that for what it has in it. It's like the what we'd be looking for in terms of, okay, are these active nutrients? But I don't find that it hits all of my checkmarks. So I think because it's a gummy and so.
Jessica:Hiya is not. It's a like a tablet. It's like the Flintstone ones because my kid takes Hiya vitamins.
Britton Coleman:I thought it was a gummy. So because I don't want to share if I don't feel confident in this. But I think, well, one thing can keep in there. I think, with gummies, for kids who won't take anything else, it's not nothing. So I think a lot of times, we say well, gummies don't give us anything, you know? They don't give us as much as it would like a powder or capsule. But if a child's not going to take a powder or capsule, I would rather than get in some gummies like that's okay and maybe we could build up to take them something else. So I think it just comes down to like, there are better ones out there. There are like best top ideal like, yes, let's choose these if we can. But they might be expensive, which might make them inaccessible. Child might not take them, like there are some that are tastier and it's not nothing. So but for the ones that are like that, we just want to make sure okay, what do they provide and of that, are they giving us the right forms? Looking at the right ingredients? That kind of stuff like that.
Jessica:Yeah, totally.
Rachel:Yeah. I love that. I
Jessica:I never thought about that. The difference between the gummy versus the capsule or the tablet ones that you chew or whatever.
Britton Coleman:Yeah, I was actually talking about fish oil the other day on Instagram and I love the brand Nordic Naturals, but they have this gummy fish that a lot of people take, and it's fine for what it is. But I was sharing like, what are the DRI is for omega threes and if kids aren't eating any omega threes, like, I can't remember the exact amount. But usually for kids, I think it's four to eight, we're aiming for 900 to 1000 milligrams of omega threes, minimum, and if they're not getting any, we need to make sure we're getting it from a supplement. Well, that one gummy fish gives 100 and so I'm like, yes, the gummy fish gives some. It's not nothing, but if you're trying to meet your child's nutrient needs, for omega three, you're gonna have to take 10 Gummies and there are 30 in there. That's like $35. So it's like now you have a path you're paying $30 every three days. So I'm like let's get something that's a little bit more concentrated and see if we can like, figure something ou or just accept that they're not going to meet that if that's all they're gonna take. At least it's a little bit.
Jessica:Yeah, better than nothing.
Rachel:I was just thinking. I have this supplement that's like a it's like a juice like a squirt type thing that our pediatrician recommended and it's like peach flavored, but with a hint of fish.
Britton Coleman:Yes.
Rachel:And I haven't I totally forgot about it until you just brought it up and I was like, Oh shoot. Yeah, I should probably start giving that to my children. But he stopped, he wouldn't take it because it tastes like fish.
Britton Coleman:My I actually have it in front of me. So I'm going to show you but my top recommendation is just an oral syringe and I really liked the one from Haakaa. Have you seen this one?
Rachel:No.
Jessica:Yeah. What, uh, this is kind of off topic, but what's
Britton Coleman:Haakaa. They have like the milk, I say that because I have a one year old and so haka is still like fresh on my mind with all of that. But I really like it because it has two spouts on it and it squirts it to the back of their mouth versus like stripped down their tongue, which for kids who maybe have like a heightened sense of taste, that's not going to be ideal. So it facilitates that. So instead of putting it in a glass or something else, I have a lot of kids take it through syringe, and then we're not mixing it in food because I don't want to do that for kids who have a limited diet. If it's going to really change. Like, I see people trying to put a multivitamin in milk and I'm like, well, they're only getting their protein and most of their calories from their milk right now and I don't want to change the color and texture and taste, and have them drop the thing that's actually getting them the nutrition. So there's, I always want to take supplements outside of food and beverage, especially if it's something really nutritious in their diet. your opinion on like hiding foods in other foods? Like in smoothies or that idea of hiding vegetables in a preferred food? I tell my families no, but I want to clarify why I say that. Again, it's the losing trust between both the food and the caregiver. I actually worked with this client when I was first getting started as a dietitian, and all he would eat is pediasure and cheetos, hot cheetos specifically, and he they tried so hard to get him more nutrition that they were mixing stuff and the Pediasure and he, you know, he had sensory processing disorder or autism, he like he knew. There was no sneaking it in there and so it turned into the point where he had to hear the seal of the Pediasure open before he would drink it. Because he had lost so much trust in it and and his parents, unfortunately, but they were just doing what they were told and he wouldn't try new things. And so there's a lot when it comes to feeding a child that involves a lot of trust. And so I want to make sure that we're building trust and not taking it away. Now I understand, like parents wanting to just help their kids get in more nutrition. I'm like, I completely understand that. Now, if you are like 100% sure that this is not, especially if your child's not going to eat a lot of foods, let's say they eat fewer than 20, I'm really cautious to sneak things because I don't want them dropping anything. But if you are 100% positive, it's not going to change it or you've done this before and they're okay with it, that's okay, proceed with caution. But if it's something new, I'm like, let's not do it. So I think I just err on the side of caution because I don't want them to end up in a worse place with food, trying to get to a better place.
Jessica:That makes sense for sure.
Rachel:Yeah. Let's kind of sidestep and talk about I don't even know if you like pronounce i or if you just say the the letters - arfid. How do you pronounce it? Do you say it?
Britton Coleman:Arfid? Exactly.
Rachel:It just sounds so weird to me, but yeah. That's yeah, what is it?
Britton Coleman:Yeah. Arfid stands for avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and it is actually an eating disorder. So it's categorized alongside anorexia, bulimia; however, it is very different from all those and that it doesn't take into account the way you feel about your body. So you are not eating or not eating foods, for fear out of how your body is going to change. It's actually more based in extreme anxiety around food. It could have been linked back to some food trauma that you've had. Maybe a child choked once, and now they have some really extreme anxiety around eating foods. It could be also related to extreme sensory aversions as well, and so it is more than just, quote unquote, picky eating. Which I'll use that term, but I also hate the term picky eating because it insinuates that a child is choosing to do that and with autism, it's not a choice. Oftentimes, like sure, there may be some behavioral sides, like worked into it, but it's usually rooted in sensory and other issues that are not a choice for that child and so with arfid it is people say extreme picky eating. But we have to understand that it's not a choice for them.
Jessica:How does a child get that diagnosis?
Britton Coleman:So it's actually a mental health diagnosis, and you would need to visit a mental health practitioner to be able to get that diagnosis. But some OTs or speech therapists, who might be familiar in the feeding space, may be able to say, hey, this is something that you may look into. And so I think a lot of parents, they don't go and get that official diagnosis, but to be able to have the terminology around it. Because that certainly, if a child has arfid, that helps you get more diagnose, or sorry. If a child has arfid, that helps you get more services, sometimes just like autism, it comes down to getting that actual diagnosis for, unfortunately, sometimes people don't take you seriously or to be able to get the referrals that you need. And so I've had families I've worked with, I'm like, hey, this really sounds like this. I want you to look into it and I want you to talk to your pediatrician about it. Because we're not getting a feeding therapy referral, and your child is down to five foods and we really need some extra help in here. So it's one of those things that sometimes unlocks the gate to more support and it's really common. I don't know the stats, but it's definitely more likely for kids who are neurodivergent to also have a diagnosis.
Jessica:Yeah. What are some of the criteria for it?
Britton Coleman:Hmm, that's a great question. Yeah, it is in the DSM-5, arfid. So it would be interesting. I don't know the exact criteria off the top of my head, but it'd be easy for me to get it for you.
Jessica:I know. I was like, I could totally google it right now too.
Britton Coleman:No, that's honestly probably a good thing for me to know. Arfid, DSM-5. I'm just going to type it in, just out of curiosity. But yeah, there's also something called pediatric feeding disorder, or PFD, which was added to the DSM-5, a few years ago, and so it's really helpful to be able to have that diagnosis now. Because for kids who maybe don't fully fit the arfid diagnosis, but they have other reasons for having an extremely limited diet, like a medical issue, for example, that could cause them to be an extremely selective eater. There's actually four different pillars for pediatric feeding disorder and it's really helpful to be able to, again, have a diagnosis that helps. Unfortunately, sometimes practitioners who aren't aware of feeding difficulties and just say it's picky eating, and they'll grow out of it. It helps them take it more seriously and understand that, hey, this is actually really putting the child at risk for malnutrition and other nutrition issues. So helps them get the services that they need. But oh, it was a big, hurray, whenever pediatric feeding disorder got added, that's a big deal.
Rachel:Well, still blows my mind that they put that in there and that sensory processing disorder.
Britton Coleman:Oh my gosh, I like, I got all flustered when you guys were talking on your podcasts, listening to, and you're like, no, it's not in the DSM-5. I'm just like, I just can't.
Jessica:I know. It's amazing.
Britton Coleman:I don't understand.
Rachel:Either do we, honestly. We had a gal on our podcast, who was talking about it, and she, Dr. Jennifer Dubrow and she specializes in misophonia, and so she said she was working on it. I can't remember exactly where.
Jessica:There's like a group of people who are working on trying to get it added.
Britton Coleman:In my opinion, it should have been added 20 years ago, but it's those silly that it's not added. There is a really great organization called feedingmatters.org and they have a lot of information and resources around arfid and pediatric feeding disorder. They even have it like compared. So for people who are like, ooh, this is sounding like my child, they have fewer than 20 foods, they are losing weight, they're not having success with feeding therapy, I think it would be a really good idea to look into feedingmatters.org.
Rachel:Well, what age would you say less than 20 foods like after they've gone through that picky eating phase and 18 months, two years? Like, I have an 18 month old right now and I'm like, she just doesn't eat that much. I remember Trip, went through, my three year old, went through the same thing around this age and I'm like.
Britton Coleman:I don't know. It's a good question. I think that it should just be something on your radar. I mean, I have a wonderful, I know that it's gonna happen, you know. We go through it right now. He eats mostly everything. and it's because I'm like, I can't take any credit. It's we're about 18 months and things are going to decline and or decrease and that's just what happened. So I'm hearing that for that as well. No matter how great of a feeding therapist or dietitian.
Rachel:Right. Yeah?
Britton Coleman:It happens. And I don't know that I have an exact number for you, but I would say after 24 months would be especially in maybe three years. If you notice that your child is not eating over 20 different foods. I would at least talk about it with your pediatrician or if a child is already in therapy bring it up is something you're worried about. There's, I think there's also something to be said about the quality of those 20 foods that the child eating. If it's only snacks, I think that I would address it a lot quicker than if they were eating still somewhat of a variety of things.
Jessica:Well, and then do we want to take into consideration But when we start to see that variety decrease in the number drops under 20, I really want to make sure that we're setting ourselves up for success.a and if you think that it's I mean, if we're dipping under 10, that you could also get a referral to a feeding therapist. And if you don't end up needing it, it's okay, you can decide you're not going to utilize it. But waiting lists are unfortunately very long. So the by the time that you actually get in somewhere, you're grateful for your past self that got on the waitlist. So I think it's better I would rather take action and not need it, then be in a sticky situation. if the child is gaining weight, as well?
Britton Coleman:Yes. Okay.
Rachel:Give us the spiel.
Britton Coleman:Oh, I get frustrated on this because I have a lot of parents, yes, their child is eating 10 foods, they're very concerned about it, or five foods, and they go in to their pediatrician and they're like, Hey, I'm concerned. I think we need feeding therapy and they're like, but they're in the 50 percentile. They're fine. Or they're in the 90th percentile, they're fine and, ah, the percentiles. They have a purpose, and they help us track. Like you want your child to stay within their percentiles, yes. It means that they're getting probably the calories that they need to grow, but it doesn't help us monitor. Do they have the severe vitamin D deficiency and iron deficiency? Or like, we see kids on the autism spectrum showing up at ER's with scurvy like now, because they're not eating foods that have vitamin C in them and so it's so much more than just the growth curve. We have to look a lot deeper than that. So I get really frustrated when I have people who are like, well, I asked my pediatrician, and they just said, they're growing fine. And I'm like, there's more of an issue here. So.
Jessica:And I think, too, we look, you mentioned quality of food, and I'm sure that's going to play into that. The child is the weight that they should be for their age, because heavily processed foods are higher calories, but fewer nutrients for the things we need.
Britton Coleman:It's true. I have seen adults too, who are overweight or obese, but severely malnourished and so I think that we need to say stop saying that malnutrition, and obesity or overweight are mutually exclusive because they can absolutely overlap. When I worked clinical, we would see a lot of people who were obese, that also had severe malnutrition, and it was really hard to get them the services they needed. Because unfortunately, we were just looking at the number on their chart and not looking deeper than that. And with autism, obviously, pivoting back there. I think a lot of people see autism in the child's chart, and then they're like, oh, well, no wonder they're picky eater. No wonder they have got issues. That's just how autism is and I'm like, that is so unfair. Because yes, it's common that that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be giving them the same services that we would be giving a child who does not have an autism diagnosis. And so I say a lot of times, they just get swept under the autism rug and they are very underserved. At the same time, I mean, I just talked about how a diagnosis helps get them access to services. But it can also cause them to be overlooked because people aren't.
Rachel:And I feel like a lot of pediatricians too, who don't specialize in autism. Don't really understand it and don't see all those underlying challenges for what they really are.
Britton Coleman:I totally agree.
Jessica:Yeah, as we start to wrap up, what are a couple of do's and don'ts for feeding therapy, feeding strategies at home, but also for therapists? Because we have a lot of therapists working with these kids too.
Britton Coleman:Yeah, so I'll start with the don'ts because we've already covered a few of them. So my number one would be do not remove access to safe foods. That we have to add before we subtract. So kids with sensory processing disorder, autism, they're not just going to eat when they're hungry. So we have to realize that and stop giving that advice, I think in general, but especially for kids with differences, like sensory processing differences. I would also say don't force kids to eat because that can also cause a negative association with food, and is also overriding some of the kids autonomy. And so we want to make sure that we're utilizing approaches that are going to help the child build a positive relationship with food. Now, if we force the child to eat, that's going to work in the moment, but it is certainly not going to work long term and so I don't ever say, well, they have to stay until they take a bite, or they have to stay at the table until they finish their plate. Like that also is teaching kids to override hunger cues, or fullness cues and so we don't want to do any forcing. Sometimes we can give some like gentle guidance, kids have to learn like foods too, but we have to approach it in the right way. And then the last thing for don't is just think that taking a bite is the only marker of success. There's a lot of other milestones that kids can make with food. For kids who can't even be in the same room with a food. Being able to smell it in front of them is a big deal, or being able to touch it, or maybe they like, kissed it and then lick their lips, or chewed it and spit it out. I think that those are all really exciting things to celebrate, and acknowledge that those are food wins too. I think when we have our mindset on well, taking a bite and swallowing it is the only form of success. You're not gonna.
Rachel:Yeah.
Britton Coleman:But for a do, we want to reduce pressure on food. We want to try and build as positive of a connection to food as we can, because that's going to be what helps them feel empowered to try new things in the future. Learning to like new things is a skill and sometimes it's harder for some kids, because of sensory processing challenges, than others and so we have to build up to getting closer and closer about foods. So we want to take a very sensory minded approach and follow the child's lead in that. Itf you notice signs that a child is going into overstimulation, because food is very overstimulated, it has all of our senses all at once, I think that we need to pay attention and respect that as well. Now growth comes when we're pressed beyond our comfort zone. But if we're pressing too hard, we are going to go into overstimulation. We're not going to have any kind of success. I was actually at a conference with Temple Grandin this past weekend, and she was talking about that and she was like we have to encourage growth, but we can't push so hard that we snap and we send these kids straight into overstimulation. So I think there's a really healthy balance of that and paying attention to the child's needs and the signs that they're giving us. Both verbal and nonverbal cues that they might be headed into that overstimulated place. And then just.
Rachel:We call it the just right challenge in OT.
Britton Coleman:Yeah, that's the terminology I needed.
Rachel:Exactly, yeah.
Britton Coleman:Then the last thing I'll say, is just start small. You don't have to overhaul the diet. There are really small changes that you can make and start with the basics first and build up. Like you don't want to jump in the deep end, and give up next week, I really want people to start small, stay consistent with whatever they're starting with, and be able to build on that over time. Because that's where we see success, we're not going to see it if we try and remove all the foods and be perfect with our diet. That's just a recipe for burnout. So we really have to take it slow even though that's not the fun thing to do sometimes. It's where we see the progress.
Jessica:For sure, like anything in life.
Britton Coleman:It's true and I think a lot of adults listening to this, or anyone who's listening to this, can probably been in a situation where you're like, okay, no more sweets, or I am, whatever it is that they're removing from their diet. Like how well did that work for you? Because you probably weren't able to stick to that for longer than a few days and then what happens? You're in a worse place now because now you're eating all the sugar that you told yourself you wouldn't, because it was restricted too. And so it comes down to that too. It's like if we're we have to make this family approach to diet. But if you're trying to completely overhaul tomorrow, you're gonna feel really overwhelmed and probably not be able to stick to it.
Jessica:I like that. Start small. I can't think of one more question while you're talking and this comes from, like my personal experience working in the clinic. What are your thoughts on using food as a reward of we probably all grew up, you know, having dessert and you had to finish your plate of food at dinner before you can have your piece of candy as dessert. Like that reward and I see that oftentimes with families and I ended up a couple of years ago taking that whole approach away from my son, who's 10 and he's not a restrictive eater. He eats a wide variety of foods, but it just became this thing of like, he was so focused on getting his piece of candy at dinner that it took away from our mealtime experience. So we ended up doing away with that whole concept and now we can have a piece of candy with our dinner, instead of after. So I was curious what your thoughts on that were?
Britton Coleman:I am 100% with you. I, again, food is very psychological. It's also very emotional and so when we are putting one stool up on this pedestal, it's all that you want to eat. It's all you're focused on and we do that whether or not it's a reward, or if we're restricting it. If we're saying no more sugar. Now, sugar is up above everything else and it's all we can think about and I think when it comes to having actually a balanced diet, yes. It's great to reduce the amount of sugar that we eat every day. I want people getting more nutrients than that. But you can eat that too and so I like to, exactly like what you're saying, if dessert has become one of these things that's now disruptive, or we're having this negative connection to it, because it's the reward; then, serving it with mealtime is a really great option, even though it feels weird. So I will guarantee if dessert has been this thing, where kids are like, oh, I want to you just have dessert, and I'm only eating my food for the dessert. You put that on the plate with their other food, 100%, they're gonna eat that first in the beginning. Because it's been up on this pedestal, but when we start to remove it, kids sometimes will still eat it first. But it's also going to be something where it's not this hyperfocus around it. So I try and remove food rewards away from meals, because we also see that it's going to cause a negative. If I say like you, you can eat this Reese's after you finish your broccoli. Then my connection to broccoli now has become negative, because I feel like I'm being forced to eat it to get something else that I want. So that's not going to encourage long term, like healthy eating habits, and then the last thing I'll say too, is therapy rewards, like with food, I also try and stay as far away from that as possible and try to give nonfood rewards or even better yet use some kind of positive reinforcement system like a sticker chart or whatever it might be to. And maybe the reward at the end of the sticker chart, like maybe they get to choose something that they really want. But I still like, if we can, try and remove food from that as much as possible. I just see that it doesn't do us any favors when it comes to that.
Rachel:And I noticed when I put it on, like we made like gluten free cake pops today because my son is obsessed with cake pops right now. So we made some of those and we like had one before dinner and I noticed that when I do put it on his plate, when we're having dinner, he'll take a bite and then he'll eat someone's other food and then he'll take a bite and then he'll eat some of his other food. And it's so much better than when we do try to restrict it like okay, no finish your chicken first and then we can have it. And then it just becomes that obsession. And it's like, yeah, I already am like obsessed with sweets like we can have it. Let's eat it. Why not? Life's short, eat dessert first.
Britton Coleman:So yeah, I mean, I'm with you, too. I think that it's I was talking about this with a lot of people over Thanksgiving, of like parents who had different views around dessert. Where they're like, we serve it with the meal or like we don't restrict it or like, we don't make them eat something for it and then grandparents who maybe don't have that thinking coming in and saying you can eat this when you eat whatever. And so really having to have some conversations about like reversing that thinking and how that's not beneficial in the end. So it's a hard thing to grasp when it's not something that you've grown up practicing.
Jessica:Yeah, totally.
Rachel:And it's hard to have to not only teach your child that, but also explain it to your parents and your grandparents, like to people you're around. Like to have to explain yourself and to validate what you're doing. It's exhausting.
Britton Coleman:Yeah, exactly. It is hard. We are talking about I feel like we could keep talking because I did want to that in my membership. What conversation this is a few weeks talk about that mental health piece with food, but we're before Thanksgiving, like what conversations can we have now already at our hour mark.
Rachel:We might have to have you on again. that are going to make Thanksgiving a lot easier for us? And some of those conversations are around like
Britton Coleman:I know, this was all great.
Rachel:And we could talk to you about all the things. But thank the way we view food. We're not going to bribe them or force them to eat anything. Also for maybe family members or friends who are not familiar with their child, how can we have these conversations of like, hey, is there a quiet safe space that my child could go to when they get overstimulated? Or like hey, they're probably not going to eat anything on the table today, they're probably just going to eat their safe foods. We're working on it. Like what conversations can we have ahead of time to set you up to enjoy the day better? It's so I'm fortunate that we have to do that, but there is a lot of education that needs to be done and so sometimes approaching it in that way can be helpful. Instead of a spur of the moment conversation, but sometimes, you for spending time with us and sharing your story and such helpful information with all of our listeners.
Britton Coleman:Of course. I'll have to have you on my podcast so that you can come on sensory diets, because I get a lot of questions about that. So have to do something else sometime.
Rachel:Yeah.
Jessica:Totally. Just shoot us an email.
Britton Coleman:Awesome. And just shameless plug. If anyone's looking to connect with a dietitian that knows autism and sensory processing disorder, all the things and needs help with taking a sensory friendly approach to food, you can find me on Instagram at Autism Dietitian, is a great place to find me. I'm on every social media platform. So if you so search autism dietitian, you'll find me, and my membership called the Nourishing Autism Collective is also a great resource for parents, who are looking to get started but are feeling overwhelmed to break it down one step at a time and not feel so isolated and all this you get to connect with other parents, which has been really special for a lot of parents joining it. They join for the nutrition, stay for the community. So yeah, definitely connect with me.
Rachel:Yes, we will make sure everything is linked in the show notes as well. So for anyone listening, they can just pop down there and click everything and find you and connect with you.
Britton Coleman:Sounds great. Thank you so much.
Rachel:Thanks, Britton. We'll be in touch soon.
Britton Coleman:Sounds great. Thank you.
Rachel:Yeah, bye, bye.
Jessica:We definitely need to have Britton on the podcast again to talk about more things. Because there are so many things we could talk about, around food and nutrition, and sensory, and autism, and it just there's so much that plays into it. But this was a great interview. This was a great conversation and make sure that you go down to the show notes and follow Britton on Instagram, Facebook, wherever you are. Download her free nutrition guide. Check out her community and tell her Hi. Tell her that you listened to her on the show.
Rachel:Leave a review and let us know your thoughts on this episode by leaving a review on iTunes or on Spotify. We honestly love listening to your reviews and we especially love it when you review and we have a guest on. Because it's just so special and so you know, pump their tires a little bit and give them a pat on their back. So we love that.
Jessica:Yes, pump, pump their tires. Thanks for being here. Thanks for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
Rachel:Thank you so much for listening to All Things Sensory by Harkla.
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Jessica:We are so excited to work together to help create confident kids all over the world. While we make every effort to share correct information we're still learning.
Rachel:We will double check all of our facts but realize that medicine is a constantly changing science and art.
Jessica:One doctor or therapist may have a different way of doing things from another.
Rachel:We are simply presenting our views and opinions on how to address common sensory challenges, health related difficulties, and what we have found to be beneficial that will be as evidence based as possible.
Jessica:By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or your child.
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Rachel:Thanks so much for listening