I'm also a mom.I know how hard it is to raise a child — and where frontline therapists get stuck.
I've worked as a clinical speech-language pathologist and supervisor for more than 15 years, and I still remember the first child with severe autism I ever worked with. Looking at his sweet face, and at his parents so anxious and eager for him to change, I didn't know where to begin so that he could make steady, rapid progress.
I started reading books and research, but still had big questions when it came to actually doing it, so I took internationally certified autism intervention trainings. Once certified, I put them into practice — and found how different children on the autism spectrum are. Approach A might fit one situation, while child B needs another strategy. Every child is so different!
So I began to wonder: could we start earlier, with more core skills — the social skills children will need later, skills parents can use in daily life, and an approach that respects each child's neurodivergent traits — and, most importantly, one that fits clinical needs for repeated teaching and measurable progress? That is how EF-NDBI began.
Since 2019 we have tested and refined it again and again. Thank you to the more than 500 families and 100-plus therapists who have taken part. The official version of EF-NDBI was released in 2026, and in 2026 we also began formal research in Taiwan — EF-NDBI is moving toward becoming an evidence-based intervention.
Part of a speech-language pathologist's job is helping children eat and swallow safely — yet my own child was a very poor eater, both with milk and with meals. Feeding was hard from birth: drinking very slowly, only accepting breast milk (no switching), and not even taking a pacifier.
We hoped things would get better once we started solids at 4 months. Instead, right up to age 2, we ran into every feeding problem you can name — not chewing, gagging on vegetables, eating very little, spitting food out, a very short list of accepted foods — plus the behavioral ones: throwing food, "playing" with food, spitting water. All I can say is: it was very challenging!
For my child, I spent time reading books, taking courses and digging into research on how solid feeding develops and how infants and toddlers eat. I also joined parent groups — and found out how many families have "mealtime problems"!
But the information on social media is fragmented, limited and incomplete. For busy parents short on time, getting fuller background knowledge faster can really help. (That is why I started writing about it.)
Mealtimes may not seem like a big deal, but day after day they can wear down your patience and your relationship. If you also hope your child can enjoy eating, feel positive about food, and gradually learn table manners that fit social norms — you will find everything you need here.
Specialties: language development ages 0–6, pediatric feeding, early autism intervention, informal language assessment
