Anchor Family Solutions

Join us this Friday at 11 for our ribbon cutting and open house with La Luna Counseling& Wellness and Southern Ocean Chamber !

We’ll have some light refreshments available along with tours of our space and opportunities to meet our providers. We can’t wait to see you there!

If you’ve noticed we’ve been a little quiet, it’s because we are ready to grow again! Anchor Family Solutions is hiring a part-time BCBA for in-person clients in Ocean County. Must pass a background check and be willing to collaborate with school teams, related services, and families. Must have active BCBA certification and NJ LBA.

Please send your resume to [email protected] to apply!

For years, we assumed that sensory issues were the primary reason autistic people rejected new foods.

While sensory differences absolutely can play a role, newer research suggests that rigidity may be just as much of a factor for many people.

Sometimes the thought process isn’t:

“I can’t eat this.”

It’s:

“I don’t eat this, therefore I can’t eat this.”

To a neurotypical person, trying a new food might feel like a small decision.

To an autistic person who relies heavily on routines and predictability, it can feel like breaking an unwritten rule.

So what can we do to help?

▪️ Remove pressure.

The more pressure someone feels, the more likely they are to dig their heels in. Encouragement works better than demands.

▪️ Start with exposure, not eating.

Let people look at the food, smell it, touch it, lick it, help prepare it, or simply have it on their plate. Success doesn’t have to begin with taking a bite.

▪️ Make changes small.

Going from chicken nuggets to sushi is wild.

Going from one brand of nugget to another brand may be much more manageable.

▪️ Connect new foods to familiar foods.

If someone likes french fries, they may be more willing to try another potato-based food than something completely unrelated.

▪️ Allow people to change their minds.

Trying a food once and rejecting it doesn’t mean they’ll never accept it later.

▪️ Celebrate flexibility.

Instead of focusing only on whether someone liked the food, acknowledge the effort it took to try something new in the first place.
Example: “I love that you THOUGHT about giving that a try!”

Ideally, we want to gradually increase comfort with novelty, flexibility, and new experiences while respecting individual needs.

Sometimes progress looks like eating a new food.

Sometimes progress looks like simply being willing to let it sit on the plate.

Join us on Friday June 19 at 11am for a ribbon cutting and open house at Anchor Family Development Center! and welcome you to our new center. Meet providers, enjoy some refreshments, and see what we have to offer!

We are just days away from opening the Anchor Family Development Center! With that, enrollment for the Little Learners Prep program is open. For any inquiries or to begin your child’s enrollment, email [email protected]

School Readiness Skills, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ABA Therapy, Social Skills, Learning through play, Parent Support

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