Overcoming Feeding Problems in a Child with Autism
In fact, for a person with autism, Tom eats a pretty wide range of foods. Many children (and adults) on the autism spectrum self-limit their foods to the point of absurdity. One parent I spoke with could feed her child only french fries - and only at Burger King!
While it's not always clear what the reasons are for this ultra-pickiness, some reasons could include a desire for absolutely predictable routine, discomfort with the sight, smell or taste of certain foods, or a desire for a particular food sensation (smooth, crunchy, etc.). Another less supportable theory is that certain foods (specifically wheat and dairy-based foods) cause an "opoid" (drugged-out) feeling that autistics crave.
Whatever the reasons, most parents and caregivers would prefer that the autistic children in their lives eat a balanced menu. Typical approaches to picky eaters really don't work with autistic children, so a more structured approach is needed.
Enter Dr. Kimberly Kroeger-Geoppinger, an expert in feeding children with autism. In this article, Dr. Kroeger-Geoppinger shares a step by step approach to improve picky eating which can be implemented by most parents in their own home. NOTE: if your child is truly undernourished, this "DIY" approach may not be appropriate - you should really consult with a feeding expert in a clinical setting.
Do you have a picky eater with autism? Have you been successful in building his or her menu? What worked? What didn't? Share your successes and discoveries!
Comments
you sure do have great topics!
for my child, the feeding issues started when JR baby foods started. he gagged all the time, too and threw up and no kidding, throwing up no less than 10 times a day. the gag effect wasn’t just due to foods however. as he got older, his growling would activate the gag reflex and he’d throw up every time. it’s a miracle he never was under weight and I wonder how that could even be LOL. later at age 3, he had invasive tests and was DX’d with a hyper gag reflex, so this complicated the picker eater. my son lived on pickles, we’d go through jars of them. he was a salty crunchy eater. he also was a eater of three’s, needed three of everything. I could list his picky assortments that he would eat, but some of the things he wont is chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, noodles, anything with cooked fruit, no applesauce, sandwiches, jelly or peanut butter, no canned food item….
our private O.T had smells in a jar, and textures on a stick. we also did compressions of the gums and used a battery operated tooth brush. our in home therapist once told me that sometimes as kids get older, their sensory issues to foods texture/smell can change. the first time my son ate meat was when we were BBQ’ing and the meat got burned on the outside. he ate it right up. I think he was 6 at the time. his favorite color is green and the color rules his life, so I got him to try green veggies using his ‘color’. my son started eating hamburger’s thanks to Sponge Bob. but they have to consist of everything on a Crabby Patty. I also tried the reverse psych thing. my son on a daily bases hardly ever does a thing I asked, he is so oppositional. so I told him he better not try that food over there. he is almost 8 and still hasn’t caught on
he still thinks he has the control LOL!
my son has gained on his own a wider variety of foods. I never forced him to try anything, just offered it. I have no idea how these things feel to him. for all I know it’s like glass shavings on his tongue to him. we at home avoid items we know he doesn’t like, however his dad does not on his weekends. for his birthday, grandma over there baked a cake that had strawberries in it. the second that cooked fruit touched my sons tongue, he threw up. so for me, it’s not worth forcing if in the end, he pukes. I didn’t really take a structured approach other than everything had to be in 3’s, and a fork for each. I work with my son a lot with RDI, and I often change my sons expected predictability. I feel this also helped with that expected routine of eating. I more or less purposely ‘irritate’ him with unexpected change through out the day, work through his melt downs and show OMG he can survive it
I did this with foods too. to work with fine motor, and not pay attention to just what was on that plate or how it was on his plate, I gave him chop sticks to eat with. he was so interested in them chop sticks, he tried foods like a noodle.
this probably doesn’t really fully stay on topic LOL and longer than I intended. I have to say, my sons lack of imagination forced me to remember how to use mine and over-use it
My son is very picky when eating. It is almost like he forgets what he likes. We used to be able to shove a little in his mouth and it was like a light bulb went off in his head and he would gobble his food right up. Now he spits out everything that is not crunchy. Crunchy is the key for him no matter what it is it must be crunchy. All this makes his diet very limited but I have found a few alternatives like veggie crisps. Hopefully he will grow out of this stage and move on to other foods but I am afraid his sensory and lack of understanding is the major cause of the picky eating.
My son is 5 in December and has Autistic Spectrum Disorder. He used to eat a variety of different food groups….. some dairy, chicken, sausage, cereal, even carrots and he had lots of bananas (which we have since discovered causes a hyperactive reaction due to the potassium levels). We tried him on the GF/CF diet briefly but after various blood tests discovered he was not allergic to gluten, so we stopped and returned him to his original diet. Unfortunately, because the soya yoghurts and other substitute foods on the gf/cf diet tasted so different from what he was used to, it put him off these for good and now all I can get him to eat is white bread, (no butter and whole slices) ready salted crisps, custard creams, and happy meals with nuggets. I still continue to offer him the same foods as the family at meal times and he always refuses, sometimes he will touch the food or name what is on his plate, I just hope that someday he will start to try new foods but I do not push him.