1. Present a finger food that is perceived to he desired by the student, Provide the verbal cue "(Name), please pick up a piece of (food item)." Assist, where needed, in the process of grasping the object in a manner that would exposeas much of the food item, as reasonable, to easy placement in the mouth. Physical guidance may be needed and should be faded out prior to proceeding to the next step. If physical guidance is not needed, proceed to Step 4
Continuous social reinforcement should be provided in this step as well
Steps 2 and 3.
2. Have the student practice opening and closing mouth as the teacher brings the food toward it. This could also be done in the form of a game.
3. Couple the skill learned in Step 2 with prompting the student to bring the food item to his or her mouth without assistance,
4. Encourage thorough chewing and swallowing by verbal prompts. If difficulties are noted here, get assistance from an occupational therapist or another professional.