Hallie BulkinAsk HallieAI:Your On-Demand Mentor in Pediatric Feeding & Myo

Is it Sensory... or can they just not Breathe?

6 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this segment Hallie Bulkin argues that sensory issues are often a secondary symptom of feeding aversion rather than the primary cause. She explains that repeated difficulty or discomfort with textures can create a sense of unsafety and breathing struggles, which then reinforce aversion. Bulkin warns that treating the problem solely with sensory‑focused strategies—such as messy play, exposure, or desensitization—can actually increase the aversion if the child still feels unsafe. She also critiques motor‑focused interventions that assume the nervous system is ready for food‑related motor tasks, noting that premature motor work can stall progress. Her central recommendation is for clinicians and parents to first identify what makes the child feel unsafe or unmanageable before applying sensory or motor therapies.

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So sensory, like, yes, that's definitely most likely involved because that's a piece of the puzzle, but it often develops because of the repeated difficulty or discomfort, not as the primary cause. So if you treat this just as a sensory issue, like messy play and exposure and desensitization, and they still can't manage textures or they feel unsafe or they struggle to breathe, you actually will increase the aversion, not decrease it. Yes, I said that out loud. Okay, sorry, but like, that needs to be said. So these courses that focus on like sensory, sensory, sensory, I'm like, Okay, where's the motor? And then they'll like show you, oh, you have to do motor with food, don't use tools. No, most these kids, their nervous system is not ready for that. And then you're going to be spinning your wheels in therapy for a very long time, making very little progress. So I want you to like be looking at like what is making this feel unsafe or, or unmanageable for this child.