Free Printable Mealtime Communication Boards for Gestalt Language Processors

Free printable mealtime and food communication boards for gestalt language processors and hyperlexic learners.

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Mealtime can be a stressful experience for some kids, especially if they have food sensitivities to taste, texture, smell, etc.

Or, perhaps you have a hyperlexic child who doesn't ask for things like food or water due to their expressive language difficulties.

Well, you can use these mealtime communication boards as a way to help them communicate their needs and preferences when it comes to food and meals. They can echo the phrases they see by reading it and speaking it. Or they can also point to the picture or phrase.

About the Free Mealtime Communication Boards

This set of communication boards is designed with gestalt language processors and hyperlexic learners in mind and are great for kids, teens, and adults to use. Below you will find five versions included:

• One with 16 colorful clipart images paired with a written phrase or potential gestalt

• One with 13 colorful clipart images paired with a written phrase or potential gestalt and 3 blank boxes to write and draw your own

• One with 16 blank boxes to write or draw your own

• One with 16 written phrases or potential gestalts

• One with 13 written phrases or potential gestalts and 3 blank boxes to write and drawn your own

Simply print off the page that will be the best fit for your needs, fill in any blank boxes (if applicable), and laminate for durability. Be sure to keep these tips in mind, though, when writing your own phrases or potential gestalts.

Once printed, customized, and laminated, display it somewhere in your kitchen (e.g., on the fridge, pantry door, or table), pack it in your child's lunchbox, attach it to a lanyard to take on the go (you might want to print it off at half the size in this case), add it to communication binder, etc.

The phrases can then be read and/or pointed to as a way to communicate one's needs. And parents or caregivers can point and model different phrases during mealtimes.

Download the Free Printable Mealtime & Food Communication Boards

This printable pack is five pages total and contains five communication boards to pick from. Feel free to pick the one that best suits your needs. Once printed, I highly recommend laminating for durability.

To get your copy of the mealtime communication boards, click the link below:

>> Click here to download the free printable

 

Free Printable Trying New Foods Chart

A free printable trying new foods chart. It's a great tool to let kids or picky eaters rate new foods as they try them.

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It can sometimes be tricky to get kids to try new foods, especially if they are picky eaters to begin with. 

They'll judge those new foods with their eyeballs well before it touches their taste buds and leave you with wonderful reviews such as "What is this junk?" or "Eww gross." (Real reviews from my youngest.) As the head chef, it can be discouraging and frustrating when they won't even try it.

So that's where this trying new foods chart comes in. It gives kids a place to track their own food preferences each and every time they try a new food. 

After all, if they're going to be a food critic, you might as well make it official and put their reviews in writing, right? 😅 

How to Use this Trying New Foods Chart for Kids

It's really easy and straightforward to use this printable. All your kid needs to do is write or draw the food they're trying on the blank line and then rate it after giving it a try. You could even read this trying new foods social story first to prep them.

There are two versions included so that means two different rating systems. They can either color in an emoji that reflects how they feel about the food (four possible choices). Or they can give it a star rating out of five. And zero stars is totally allowed!

Please note that this chart is not a reward chart or sticker chart. Your kid doesn't earn a prize for filling it in or anything. It's simply a tool for the child to track their own food preferences. 

The main objective with this food chart is to encourage your child to rate new foods as they try them. That way you have a better understanding (as well as a written record!) of what foods they like or don't like. It's a simple way for them to communicate their preferences.

Once your child has recorded a few answers, you can start to look for any patterns, if there are any. Just like you do with this picky eating tracking sheet. Then you might have a better idea of what foods you can offer going forward. 

You can also use this chart to remind your child that they gave this particular food a smiley face last time so they'll likely like it again if they take a bite. I know, with my youngest son, he doesn't always remember if he likes something or not, so he can reflect back on his previous ratings and remember that he liked it (or not!) last time.

Download the Trying New Foods Chart

This printable is two pages in length and includes two versions: one with smiley faces and one with stars. Simply pick which one your kid would like best and go from there.

To get a copy of the trying new foods chart, click the link below:

>> Click here to download the free printable

 

Free Printable Picky Eating Tracking Sheet

Have a picky eater? Use this free printable picky eating tracking sheet to make note of your child's food preferences.

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It's quite common for autistic or hyperlexic kids to be picky eaters. Especially if they have intense sensory preferences or sensory processing issues.

Some may have really restricted diets and need help from a trained feeding therapist. And others may just be particular about certain foods or textures, but still eat a fairly decent assortment of foods. In other words, they may be somewhat picky, not extremely picky.

Regardless of how picky your child is, it's important to know your child's food preferences. And that's where this free printable picky eating tracking sheet comes in. You can use it to identify what foods your child likes, dislikes, and sometimes eats.

How to Use this Picky Eating Tracking Sheet

There are three columns on this picky eating tracking printable for you to fill in. You'll simply write down the foods that apply to each column.

In the first column, you will list your child's preferred and favorite foods. The ones they'll almost always eat, no matter what. This column will also include their samefoods, those safe and predictable foods that they could eat day in and day out. Basically, this column is all about listing the foods that your child calls "actually good" (direct quote from my youngest).

For the second column, you'll list foods that they'll sometimes eat. You know, like when the stars align just right. So some days they might eat it and other days they won't touch it at all. Instead, they'll push it around the plate in disgust.

Then finally, in column three, you'll list the foods that they most definitely won't eat for whatever reason. The foods they dislike or hate. The "junk" (again, another quote from my youngest).

Once you've filled in the tracking sheet, it's time to look for patterns in each column. Is there something that ties all the dislikes together or all the preferred foods together? Like are they all green veggies? Do the foods all use ground beef? Are they spicy foods? Foods covered in cheese? Sweet foods? Plain foods? etc. Be sure to use this process and analysis for all three columns.

After you identify the patterns, you might be able to come up with other foods that meet or fit that pattern or adapt meals to better fit those preferences. For instance, let's say that all of their preferred foods seem to be plain food or food with simple flavors. Maybe that means you need to serve food without sauces, stick to simpler flavors over spicy, or deconstruct their meals (e.g., serve all the taco parts separately instead of as an assembled taco).

You can also use the information from this tracking sheet when meal planning. Simply try to incorporate some food from the first two columns into your meals. You could also try different ways of serving foods from the dislike or sometimes eats columns to see if they still dislike those foods or not.

Another idea is to fill in this picky eating printable and share it with your child's occupational therapist or feeding therapist. It will be helpful information for them as they support you and your child with picky eating.

Finally, you can share the information from this tracking sheet with relevant caregivers or family members so they have ideas of what foods your child might enjoy or eat. This information can be especially useful during the holidays!

Download the Free Picky Eating Tracker

This one page printable is a perfect way to track your child's food preferences. It contains three columns to write in: preferred and favorite foods, sometimes eats, and dislike and never eats. Simply write down foods in each column to make note of their food preferences.

To get a copy of the picky eating tracking sheet, click the link below:

>> Click here to download the free printable