Each year, preparing for Jax to return to school comes with a new set of challenges. In the past, we focused on helping him feel confident eating in noisy, distracting, and overstimulating environments. While we still work toward making mealtimes comfortable, this year our attention has shifted to preparing not just Jax, but also his school team, for his evolving needs and progress.

We’ve been fortunate to have an incredible teacher who has built a strong team around Jax. She meets with me regularly to discuss his growth, concerns, and goals. She models her expectations for his aides, created a system to track not only volume of intake but also new food exposures and body language, and even partnered with the cafeteria staff to make lunch a more social experience for him.

Because of her leadership, Jax now walks through the cafeteria line alongside his peers. Even though I still send meals from home—purees, soft foods, and pureed meats—the cafeteria manager makes sure he can participate. They pulverize foods to a texture he can tolerate, and carefully weigh portions before and after so his progress is recorded. These thoughtful efforts have given Jax both confidence and community.

Feeding Matters has given me the knowledge and tools to advocate for Jax, and his school has embraced that guidance fully. I know how lucky we are to have a team so committed to his success. Together, we are showing that with the right support, children with pediatric feeding disorder can thrive at school—academically, socially, and emotionally.