This system helps with:

• Discriminating between food flavors and tastes (i.e., sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory)
• Detecting the texture of foods
• Discriminating between what is edible and what is not
• Detecting the temperature of foods

Some behaviors we may see due to sensory challenges within the gustatory system include:

• Picky eater; only eats certain foods and textures
• Difficulty understanding different flavors and/or temperatures
  • flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, savory
  • temperature of food, if it is too hot to eat or too cold 
• Difficulty understanding/identifying what is edible and what is not
• Mouthing, licking, or smelling nonfood items
• Gagging from certain foods or having utensils in the mouth
• Bites their tongue or lips often

A few activities that can be used to improve the gustatory system:

• In between meals or during tasks, you notice your child putting things in their mouth 
  • Chewing gum
  • Use a chewy
  • Provide snacks 
  • Use a straw 
  • Blow bubbles 
• Make eating fun! A child needs to be willing to explore food with their other senses before they will want to put it in their mouth.
  • Explore textures, tastes, and temperatures
  • Identify how the food looks, smells, and feels
  • Play with the food 
• Play pretend with nonfood tactilely rich items: Play-Doh, kinetic sand, shaving cream, etc.