Dining Hall/Canteen

Modifications

• Provision of a ‘quiet dining session’, with fewer students in the dining hall, possibly just before the main lunch time.
• Provision of a quieter section of the dining hall, with options for the student to sit slightly apart from other students if he/she cannot tolerate the sights and smells of other foods.  This should be positioned away from the kitchen to reduce smells, and to be further away from the noises of the extractor fans and kitchen equipment.
• Seated in well ventilated area to dilute the smell of surrounding foods.
• Dinner brought to the table for students who have difficulty coping with the sights, smells and sounds at the kitchen hatch.
• Provision of a separate lunch room with significantly reduced sensory input.  Students who are easily overwhelmed by the sounds, sights and smells in the dining hall can make the option to eat in this room.
• Flexibility with students’ food choices.  Some students may only be able to tolerate a very restricted range of food items, so avoid making comments or judgements about their food choices.
• Provide the dinner menu for the following week, or even further in advance, to prepare students and to allow time to make choices.

Supports

• If student expresses that he/she wants to eat in the dining hall with classmates, but finds it overwhelming, develop a programme which gradually introduces them to the dining hall, and increase the time spent there over a period of weeks or months.  This should only be implemented if the student has identified it as a goal which they wish to achieve.  They should otherwise be able to access a quiet dining area as suggested above.
• Wearing ear defenders/ ear plugs to reduce noise in dining hall.
• If there are dietary concerns due to restricted diet, as assessed by a qualified health professional, school staff can work with the student and family to agree a programme of gradual introduction of new food items.

Further ideas can be found at here.