MMI’s Jason Zeleny loves his dirty job

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story first appeared in the Fall 2009 edition of the Munroe-Meyer Institute newsletter.)

You probably won’t see Jason Zeleny on an episode of “Dirty Jobs” with Mike Rowe anytime soon, but his work can be messy.

As a behavior analyst specialist in the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Center for Pediatric Feeding Disorders, he’s been on the receiving end of a few one-way food fights.

Zeleny often works with patients with severe feeding disorders who have never eaten by mouth before.

Jason Zeleny

Typically, they don’t like to eat because it’s made them sick in the past. An Omaha native, Zeleny’s job is to help them learn to enjoy eating. He splits his time between the clinic and the hospital developing treatments for children whose eating skills need improvement.

It’s not a line of work Zeleny even knew existed before he started as a behavioral tech in April of 2007 following his graduation from University of Nebraska at Omaha. Since then, his eyes have been opened to what pediatric feeding disorder patients and their families go through on a daily basis.

“I’ve learned how a normal, everyday task like eating can be so complex for these children and their families,” he said. “It’s an awesome feeling when you start to connect with the children and they start taking tiny bites they’ve never taken before.”

Just like many of the therapists in his department, Zeleny uses stories and songs to forge a connection with his patients.

“I make most of the stories up on the spot,” he said. “They’re usually about my dog or the child’s favorite stuffed animal.”

If that doesn’t work, he resorts to singing “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”

Zeleny notes how happy most of the children are, despite their obstacles.

“The kids are always so positive,” he said. “It really makes you think twice and realize how lucky you are to have your health.”

Zeleny is working toward a master’s in applied behavior analysis. He hopes to continue his career helping people, one bite at a time. A photo that hangs in his cubicle is an inspiration. It’s a picture of a former patient taking a big bite of corn on the cob.