We've been working with the OT to help Elli learn to feed herself. This would be huge for all of us. Our girl is learning an incredible amount of patience, as she currently has to wait for us to get everyone else settled with their food and get her food prepared before she can eat. Invariably, we have to get up three or four times in the middle of her meal to get some seconds for someone, pick up a dropped item, or get something we forgot for Elli.
While this is great for Elli's character, we would love to see her learn some independence in this area. It was would be so good for her to sit down to eat first (because it will take her longer than anyone else, at least for awhile) and let her work on her own while we get everyone else ready. She has made huge progress in her tolerance of textures and in actually chewing her food. Helping her learn to feed herself seems the logical next step. Plus it will free us up to, well, actually eat ourselves. (I regularly miss breakfast or eat 1-2 hours after the kids do because it's simply too much to feed Elli, Anna, and myself at the same time.)
We have concluded that this super-expensive "Steady Spoon" I described a couple months ago is not the best one for Elli. It just moves too much for her -- it goes side to side as well as up and down to stay level. (It also isn't $60 anymore - they appear to have lowered the price to a slightly-more-reasonable-but-still-pricey $40.)
This is another swivel spoon that works really well for Elli, and that's what I ordered. It is a much more reasonable price ($15). This photo doesn't show the swivel mechanism well at all, but we are getting her the smallest spoon, on the far right. Just above the bowl is a swivel mechanism that keeps the spoon level even if you turn the spoon handle side-to-side. We can still exert downward pressure on her tongue with this one, which is something she needs to help her remember to close her lips on the spoon.
The handle of the spoon above is very slim - like standard silverware, so we are also ordering this special utensil holder. It has a slot into which you slide the spoon handle. The grip is angled so that part near her thumb is fatter than the part near her pinky finger.
The last thing I ordered is this bowl, called a Scoop Bowl. Since she can't use her fingers or a knife to push food onto her spoon, the built-up side allows her to scoop food into the spoon. It's really ingenius. Plus the suction cup on the bottom holds it in place. I also ordered a Scoop Plate, which is the same concept.We're really excited about Elli's progress, and after attending that conference last weekend, have renewed resolve to practice all these skills with her here at home and really work hard with her to help her get stronger and more independent. I guess you could say that I now have hope for improvement for her. I had lost it for awhile, and just didn't think that putting forth much effort was going to result in much progress. Even if the progress is small, anything is better than nothing.
