Human Development and Family Sciences

Thursday, March 12th

3:00 p.m.

220 Alison Hall

Reception with refreshments following the seminar

Family meals are a context where family processes are enacted; an activity in which family members can connect, problem-solve, share experiences, and co-construct a sense of identity. Finally, mealtimes are an opportunity for health promotion. Given the potential of family meals to be a factor in resilience, they have often been studied by family and health scholars. Unfortunately, the majority of that research excludes families with autistic children. The research that does exist on these families focuses on the autistic child’s problematic mealtime behavior, especially picky eating. Dr. Curtiss’ research re-centers the examination of mealtimes as an opportunity for resilience for families with autistic children. She will present the results of a grounded theory study that used mealtime observations, interviews with mothers, and interviews with autistic children to better understand what families do to make their mealtimes functional and meaningful.