In article .com,
Johnniec wrote:
My 7 yr. old was eating a taco salad at school during lunch, and choked
on one of the chips. It was stuck in this throat for a few seconds,
then he choked it out. It scared the heck out of him. I happened to
have be there with him when it happened, although I didn't realize it
was happening until just before it was over.

Now he has a fear of choking. He chooses his food based on whether he
thinks he could choke on it. He eats very slowly now. He has lost
weight. He was actually a bit overweight before, so he looks fit now. I
suspect that is why others haven't really noticed this problem he is
having.

This has been going on now for a few weeks. I would like advice on how
to help him get over this fear.

Eating slowly is not a serious problem---it may even be healthier than
rapid eating, as one is more likely to stop when satiated. You may
have to schedule meal times to last longer, so that he has sufficient
time to eat an adequate amount.

Neither dismiss his fears (he knows that choking *can* happen to him)
nor dwell on them, but teaching him coping strategies to minimize the
risk without introducing other risks (like not getting enough to eat).

You may want to cut up some of his food into smaller pieces, so that
there is less chance of choking, and encourage him to chew food
thoroughly. Serve lots of milk (assuming there is no allergy to it),
to make sure he gets enough protein. If he is refusing meat (the most
likely cause of choking), try getting him to eat tofu, which is also
an excellent protein source, but of softer consistency.

If he shows extreme fear, like refusing to eat anything, seek
professional help.

------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Karplus http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/~karplus
Professor of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz
Undergraduate and Graduate Director, Bioinformatics
(Senior member, IEEE) (Board of Directors, ISCB)
life member (LAB, Adventure Cycling, American Youth Hostels)
Effective Cycling Instructor #218-ck (lapsed)
Affiliations for identification only.