Address: 8410 W. Thomas Rd., Suite 116 | Phoenix, AZ 85037
Rating: 1.00 (1 reviews)
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Ages Served: All ages
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About Valle Del Sol Inc - Maryvale
Sensitive to people of all cultures, Valle del Sol was founded in 1970 to fill a gap in behavioral health and social services available to the Latino community and underserved populations with nowhere else to turn. While Valle del Sol serves all communities, providing services that are culturally appropriate remains essential. For more than 50 years, Valle del Sol has led the way in behavioral health, human services, and leadership development by assisting thousands of men, women, children, families, and the elderly through counseling, substance abuse treatment, support services, and leadership development programs.
Valle del Sol inspires positive change by investing in health and human services to strengthen families with tools and skills for self-sufficiency and by building the next generation of Latino and diverse leaders.
Please note that without member information we cannot guarantee that your specific plan covers these services. We recommend asking the care provider before beginning services.
Im not usually one to complain but when it comes to the health of my family I will speak up for them. They were told that they need to bring a translator...
Elizabeth D.
July 12, 2021
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, picky and selective eating is actually a quite common concern for children with autism. If you rolled your eyes looking at the steps above because your child with autism has never had a full day's serving of vegetables in their life, you are definitely not alone. As if getting kids to eat their veggies isn’t challenging enough, research shows children with autism have significantly more eating challenges than their peers who are not autistic.
In addition to sensory difficulties that can lead to a lot of anxiety with food, autistic children are 4x more likely to have gastrointestinal issues such as stomach pain and discomfort. This creates the perfect storm for extra extra picky eaters - and a lot of added obstacles and concerns for parents.
The difficulties associated with autistic children and food can cause a wide range of concerns from children being underweight to overweight (overweight children can still be at risk for nutritional deficiencies!). This can lead to slower than normal growth and nutritional deficiencies like low vitamin D and calcium levels. Even when given multivitamins, many children with autism are still found to have some of these nutritional deficiencies.
Here are some tips:
Keep to a schedule - setting schedules for meal and snack time can help picky eaters build up their appetite throughout the day
Minimize distractions - removing distractions like screens and toys can help your child be more engaged at mealtime
Approach new foods together - Make new foods less scary by trying them together. Touching and smelling the food together before tasting it
Support choice & control - Allowing your child to pick which foods they eat will help them feel more in control
It may not seem obvious, but eating is a complex behavior that involves perceptual, emotional, and cognitive processes. And we know that children with autism process things differently. While many of us look forward to things like our afternoon snack, it may be an activity that causes a lot of anxiety for your child.
Parents describe food selectivity being determined by a few of the following factors: texture (69%), appearance (58%), taste (45%), smell (36%), and temperature (22%). Uniform texture, bland and neutral color foods are reported to be overwhelmingly preferred by more than 90% of children with ASD.
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