Different foods offer different degrees of challenge in learning to bite and chew. When we understand the sensory and motor skills required for a specific food, we can select an appropriate learning challenge for the child (Evans-Morris, 2005).

Learning to bite and chew foods efficiently is influenced by the sensory properties of the food. Suzanne Evans Morris states that each food has at least 8 sensory features that simultaneously determine the degree of ease or difficulty for biting and chewing. These include:

resistance
sensory input
size
shape
texture scatter
consistency
placement
and need for transfer during chewing.

The combination of these features determines the overall sensori-motor skills required in biting and chewing.

The 3 sensory features I would like to highlight include:

(a) Resistance - the amount of pressure or force required to bite through a piece of food and chew it. Foods with low resistance require very little chewing because they tend to dissolve easily in the mouth.

Examples include: 

1 – Low resistance
French fries, well-cooked vegetable dices, peaches, kiwi, Veggie Stix.

2 – More resistance
Bread crusts, firm toast, oranges, pineapple, fish, chicken, hard cookies, pretzels.

3 – Most resistance
Raw vegetables, bagels, beef, pork, dried fruit, raisins

(b) Sensory Input – the amount and type of taste received by the mouth during biting and chewing. Foods that provide a strong sensory input (crunchy, spicy, sour, bitter, and cold) are often easier to bite and chew because they provide more sensory information for the jaw, tongue, lips, and cheeks.

1 – Strong sensory input
Raw carrots, ice chips, pickles, Granny Smyth apples, Veggie Stix, pretzels, crisps.

2 – Medium sensory input
Sharp cheddar cheese, saltine crackers, hard cookies.

3 – Low sensory input
Mild cheddar cheese, graham crackers, sweet apples

(c) Texture Scatter - the amount of crumbly bits that typically occurs when an individual bites into a piece of food. Foods with a high degree of scatter break into many small pieces and can cause gagging and choking in some children with poor oral-motor control and coordination.

1 - Less texture scatter
Veggie Stix, graham crackers, cooked fruit and vegetables.

2 - More texture scatter
Ritz crackers, bread, toast, sandwiches, hamburger on bread, popcorn

3 - Most texture scatter
Meatballs, hamburger, raw carrot, nuts

Reference:

Dr Suzanne Evans Morris: FOOD PROGRESSIONS FOR BITING AND CHEWING. www.new-vis.com

© Marinet van Vuren, DSC 2010

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