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Deborah 1

not eating and saying food is dirty

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hi can anyone help me please L who is five has been sniffing is food and starting to refuse to eat it telling me it smells. He is on a gluten and dairy free diet and has been for a few years. At easter he was given a gluten and dairy free egg but refuse to eat it saying it was dirty. I tried talking to the child psychologist about this and she is saying it is not important at this moment as lots of children go through this on the asd but it is important as there are a lot of behaviour problems going along with this not eating

any ideas please :tearful:

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Not sure if this helps, but my son's aversion to certain foods/tastes/smells depends on his emotional state at the time. He's very calm at present but until recently we would have to talk to him before meals about what he was having and what we'd be eating, often letting him see and smell our food before it was served to take away the element of surprise as it's put on the table. Often, if he was hyper or unsettled, he wouldn't be able to eat broccoli from the same sprig as he ate tons from the day before, when he was calmer.

 

It might be worth looking at other areas of your son's life to see if there could be reasons for him being unsettled and becoming more sensitive to his foods. As he has other behaviour issues at the moment this could be the case.

 

Reassuring social stories might help re-establish his interest in food, they did for J.

 

Karen

x

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A quick thought, coming from the Easter Egg thing...

Chocolate is 'dirty' stuff - in the 'messy' sense of the word. Do the other foods he's rejecting fall into the 'messy' category (anything with sauces - beans/soup etc; pasta; gravy...) too?

Some children can be really picky about things like this - hate getting dirty or messy- and this can tie in with sensitivity issues like 'sticky' hands and faces or certain textures, as well as being a more obvious aversion to making their clothes/themselves 'mucky'...

If you're getting other behaviours coming up too it could relate to a 'leap' in understanding/awareness, which is a positive but can sometimes seem like a negative until he adjusts to the new imperatives his understanding creates.

One other thing that should never be overlooked - as awareness grows so too does the imperative to 'control' the environment (that's true for all kids - ASD or otherwise, and is perfectly normal) and your place within it. He could just be exploring the boundaries (or that could be part of the whole pattern you're seeing but not all of it) and it's important if that is the case to ensure that they are flexible enough to allow him to grow and become independent, but solid enough to provide security, direction and appropriate motivation.

 

Hope that's helpful

 

:D

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reece hates getting dirty and refuses food which makes him dirty and also sniffs things if he dont like the smell he wont eat it

love donnaxxxx

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hi all,,we took blaine swimmin on mon,,he wears 4-5 year old clothes cos he is small for his age,,(6) the shorts he wore were falling down all time,,which they were'nt before,,when he was in the pool i called my husband over cos i was quite upset lookin at how thin blaine looked!,he does'nt wear clothes at home so we see him all the time but i dont know why he looked so bad? it upset me a bit,,i weighed him when we got home he is only 2 stone 8 pounds!!!!! i think he has lost a good bit of weight,,,he went to see dietician last nov ,cos of sensory issues he only eats specific foods but they said he was fine,, he does seem to be eating more lately so dunno why ? he is very busy anyway and always has been so cant see that makin a difference,,,,i am very small myself i only weigh 6 stone 8 and i have a fast metabolism so im told(was told i had eating disorder last year!!!!!!!!!! dunno where psychiatrist got that from,,i eat very healthy and always have done,,,just were lookin for reasons for my depression again!!!!!!!!stupid people),,anyway anyone advise me on this please? he will be seeing paeds again nxt month,,,,i hope,,

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What is important is to do a weight and height, this will give a better calculation if your 6st and 8lbs and are 4ft then this would be fine but if your 5ft or above this would be considered underweight, J is actually tall for his age, but due to his height he is underweight, underweight is considered anything below the 30 percentile, J got to 23 percentile, meaning he was very low, his bones shone throw, his long limbs made it looks worse, over the last few years we have had a dietition, as he was referred throw the hospital consultant, as his heart was effected, over the years we have recieved sensory therapy and support for menus, glad to say he has put on weight and he looks healthy, he is still considerablly skinny but no longer a risk.

 

How tall is your son, is he actually growing, this is the concern, I am also very slim, cant put weight on and its really hard to ensure others I eat.

 

We had to keep a diary of what his intake was, including fluids, we also had to describe any behaviours over food, reluctant/refusing/tantrums.

 

J suffers Hypoglicemia and this is a very distressing condition but we ensure he eats/drinks every couple of hours A lot of it is down to his own matablisum and the energy he uses which is sometime in excess so his body just doesnt have the fuel.

 

I would request a full weight and height check up, keep a diary and just ensure that the GP can understand your concerns.

 

JsMum

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jsmum my bmi is 17 so i am classed as underweight anyway thats why they thought i had an eating disorder which i havent! i was takin ensure plus milkshakes for 3 months and i only gained 3lb so didnt work for me,,,, in the red book blaine has for health checks they put last time that he had gone down to 2nd percentile for height and weight was 16.8 kilos ,,he was the 9th percentile,,this was done 1 year ago,,he only weighs 18 kilos now so hasnt put much weight on at all in a year and has only gained 2cm in height,,,,my eldest was quite small till bout 12 then shot up and now is 6foot 3 dunno how? im only 5 foot tall myself and his dad isnt that big either,,,,,, thanx for advice i will ask paed cos i am worried bout blaine,,,,

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I can totally understand your concern and I am sure once the GP had done a full height and weight check he can go from there, there is a positive in that he is still growing, its when they dont that is concern, hopefully after blaine seeing the gp you can go from there.

 

JsMum

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blaine sees the paed every 6 months so is due nxt month hopefully,,she has lots of queries now cos i have raised things with her,,she wants to find out about the bump to his head at school, she said wants to look into it more,,, she is gonna check him for hypermobility syndrome cos seems to be genetic on my side of the family,,and we havent seen her since we went to o/t so she has his sensory profile now i hope! then we will go from there,,he has been discharged from psychologist who was lookin for asd,,,,he dont tick boxes with her!!!!!! but paed has been really good,,sees him 6 monthly and has done all the referrals for us,without these we would still be at square 1 ,,she recognises that there is something there but is underlying so cannot dx.only through her was able to get behavioural help with blaine which was really helpful,,and she rings us from time to time to see how blaine is getting on,,

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My children are all extremely slim. My littlest was 20 kg just before his 7th birthday.

 

Their weight was always around the 9th/2nd centile when they were little. They all wear younger age range clothes and always have done.

 

I think the most important thing is to look at the overall picture: we are both slim, they eat healthily, take exercise, etc.

 

My eldest DS was like a living skeleton when he was a lad...I watched a DVD of when he was 9 recently and I was really shocked as I didn't remember him being so skinny! :lol: I think a lot of that was due to his ADHD...he was never, ever still, even when he was asleep :lol: But now he is about 6 foot and broad without being in any way fat :rolleyes:

 

Personally, I think it's probably healthier to be a bit skinny than a bit overweight??

 

So long as they have plenty of energy and look healthy, I think there is a pretty wide range of what is perfectly OK, IYSWIM.

 

Having said that, if they are lethargic and 'peaky' then definitely best to see the GP.

 

Bid :)

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yeah bid i know what u mean cos we are slim ,just thought he dont look right,,i will see what she says and try not to worry too much out it..and yes he is like a whirlwind he never stops!!!!!!!!!

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J never stops either, though his broken arm has really put on the brakes, not recommending it though, Id rather see him reeving around, it sure is odd when they dont so enjoy some of that energy he has, Im the same too, never stop, though I enjoy my t breaks but I think if your use to moving around a lot but not really eating loads then its going to result in less fat been stored, which I think with obesity rising when your thin instead of been invisible your noticed more, at the end of the day though you have concerns so do visit a gp and to ensure his health is checked over.

 

J did become very lathargic and he had no colour, still quite pale now but noticable then, the thing was as he was always on the go he would calapse into a heap panting and shaking, because his body just couldnt keep up, he would only stop when his body was exhausted.

 

 

so I would go and just get him checked out as its best to be safe than sorry, they may order some blood tests to ensure his matablism is ok.

 

let us know how things go, I would like to know if he is okay.

 

JsMum

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my 6yr old son, nt, is between 2/4 centile for weight/height, he had/has a serious and complicated heart condition, but is really healthy and lively and bright. he looks about 3 and he reads like an 8 yr old, its so funny when we are out and people see him reading signs and notices etc! :whistle::whistle: Enid

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i will let u all know ,,and thanx for all ur concern,, i am so glad i found this forum as all the people are sooooo nice ,,will give realistic advice when u need it and mostly im not on my own,,,,,,,,,,,,, so thanx again all jo

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the other thing to bear in mind is that an awful lot of the kids you compare your own to are overweight! my little sisters are both 3rd centile for both height and weight, and look rediculous next to the rest of the kids in the class as an awful lot of them are rather chubby, but apart from being small (but they're catching up fast, one has grown 2 shoe sizes and a full double-age clothes size in 6 months!) they're perfectly healthy as long as their height and weight is in balance and they're growing.

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My little man is also very skinny, he's 4.5 but only 14k. He dropped off the centiles for a bit but now follows the 2nd. The rest of us are overweight (though actively changing this), so its not a family trait for him, its purely down to his diet. But he doesn't eat much and never rests unless he is sleeping, so as long as he seems healthy (eyes, skin etc) I try not to worry too much. He is on calcium and vitamin supplements though.

 

Lynne x

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Hi Jo,

 

It is difficult not to worry - our daughter was under the paed from birth for failure to thrive - she was only just over 3 stone at 11 1/2 yrs old - being in comp was extremely difficult for her - physically as well as all the rest.

 

Probably for the first 5 or 6 yrs we constantly worried about her weight and her diet and if I'm honest it made me ill - but when she got to around 7'ish I started to accept it and realise there was nothing we could do - the Paed. told us that if we made an issue of it - it could make things worse - and it was so difficult not to make an issue out of it when you can see how little they are and it took nearly 7 years to control my worries.

 

Our other little one who's 5 1/2 at the moment is around 14 kilos - and although she's very skinny - you can count her ribs and she has no bum etc - i can tell by looking at her she's a very healthy skinny child - her hair is glossy her eyes are bright, she has so much energy and stamina etc - which was so different to my other daughter - she constantly looked ill and gaunt in the face - it was a different kind of underweight and very little stamina or strength etc.

 

The other thing obviously is when looking at the percentile charts - the weight and height combined are equally important.

 

Take care,

Jb

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jb ,,i know i shouldnt worry so much its hard though innit,,,and he is sooo full of energy he wears us out,,,,always on the go ,,,i am probly worrying over nothing,probly just the way we are built i suppose thanx again jo xxxxxxxxx

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jb ,,i know i shouldnt worry so much its hard though innit,

 

Children, love, worry - all go hand in hand....................................the day they don't is the day we should worry!!

 

Take care,

Jb

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I have never been a big eater, and am still not, I have a cupboard full of food, but I have no appetite, I go days without eating and if I do eat, it is usually tinned fish and fresh crusty bread with loads of butter on it.

 

Can anyone tell me, if lack of appetite, or strange eating patterns are in any way typical of ASD people ?

 

I generally only eat when I start feeling dizzy, then I know I have to eat, but not until.

 

I can work all day without food.

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Hi there

My son is six he has had problems eating since he was a baby,he used to go through stages of eating only one kind of food so if we didnt have that he would literally starve sometimes for a week,when it started I didnt want to give in to him as I thought at the time this would make him feel in charge now I know its part of aspergers. He only eats certain foods usually on certain days,but I must say he has improved alot since he started school,he does try new foods but often wont try it more than once.I think by seeing other kids eat and talk about food it is made him more intrested. It can be hard at times, my three year old stopped eating last year when I split from their dad again I kept perservering trying to feed him,he went through a stage of eating only cococpops than only weetabix,when you have other kids to cook for it is hard I find myself sometimes cooking three different meals and sometimes most of it ends up in the bin.I am now going to seek help for my three year old as he has dark ring under his eyes and is so skinny his ribs and spine stick out. So I think if you only eating certain foods it is okay if you eating enough of it and prehaps take vitamin supplements to but if he are loosing alot of weight and dont feel well you should seek help it may be aspergers but it may also be something else psycologically that you are not aware of, this is what is wrong with my three year old.I hope you work it out.

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I would say that this is likely to be a sensory issue - that you either don't feel or don't recognise the feeling of hunger. I have the same problem, though not to the same extent your describe.

 

Eating like this is not good for you. Your blood sugar will be all over the place and it will affect your mood and energy levels. I would recommend you try to timetable regular meals. Even if you only manage to eat a small meal, at least you have something inside you.

 

There is nothing wrong with what you are eating, even the butter, but you need more variety to get all the nutrients you need. Try adding some salad, fruit or vegetables with your other meals.

 

There are health conditions which can cause a lack of appetite, so it's a good idea to speak to your GP as well, just to rule things out.

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Hello

 

i have a problem with not knowing when to eat. In my case i have little appetite due to poor zinc metabolism (when i suck zinc lozenges i can taste them which means i need them and i start eating).

 

Being selective about what you eat when you do is also an ASD trait. It happens to be in my case a sign that i was addicted to gluten and dairy. i started eating much better after going gluten and dairy free.

 

Alexis

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Hi there

My son is six he has had problems eating since he was a baby,he used to go through stages of eating only one kind of food so if we didn't have that he would literally starve sometimes for a week,when it started I didnt want to give in to him as I thought at the time this would make him feel in charge now I know its part of aspergers. He only eats certain foods usually on certain days,but I must say he has improved alot since he started school,he does try new foods but often wont try it more than once.I think by seeing other kids eat and talk about food it is made him more interested. It can be hard at times, my three year old stopped eating last year when I split from their dad again I kept persevering trying to feed him,he went through a stage of eating only cococpops than only weetabix,when you have other kids to cook for it is hard I find myself sometimes cooking three different meals and sometimes most of it ends up in the bin.I am now going to seek help for my three year old as he has dark ring under his eyes and is so skinny his ribs and spine stick out. So I think if you only eating certain foods it is okay if you eating enough of it and perhaps take vitamin supplements to but if he are loosing alot of weight and dont feel well you should seek help it may be aspergers but it may also be something else psychologically that you are not aware of, this is what is wrong with my three year old.I hope you work it out.

 

Sounds like he needs the gluten and dairy free diet. i had dark rings under my eyes which no amount of water or sleep would shift. Eating only gluten and dairy ladden foods is another sign, also poo problems, sleep issues (needed extra help for me), sweating buckets, always thirsty were all the signs i had pre diet. Sounds more of a food addiction (which mainstream psychologists aren't aware of since its limited to autism and adhd) rather than a psychological one.

 

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My son Leo is 3 in a few weeks. As a baby he ate everything we did. Then as food got lumpier/ harder feeding started to become a nightmare

 

We are now in a position, where his diet is affecting his bowels, but there seems to be nothing I can do about it. He lives on toast, cereals, sandwiches (jam, occasionally chicken, cheese, ham) and will eat biscuits, crisps, on odd satsuma or apple. He will eat chicken in a tomato and herb sauce (but not without the sauce) and yogurt

 

He does not eat potatoes (cooked anywhat way), pasta, rice, any veg, gravy, sauces, crackers, fish, chicken nugget type foods, beans, spaghetti, beef, most fruit

 

It makes life so difficult! he often misses a meal, as he sits with us and its often tough luck!

 

Noone has been too concerned as he looks a healthy little boy. However, it is affecting his toiletting and he is constantly on Movicol. Also, I am sick and tired of serving food he wont eat. People keep saying "put it on the plate, he will try it eventually", but although he holds the food, sniffs and names it - he has introduced nothing new in his diet for nearly 12 months

 

Help!! any suggestions

 

LisaKaz

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My son Leo is 3 in a few weeks. As a baby he ate everything we did. Then as food got lumpier/ harder feeding started to become a nightmare

 

We are now in a position, where his diet is affecting his bowels, but there seems to be nothing I can do about it. He lives on toast, cereals, sandwiches (jam, occasionally chicken, cheese, ham) and will eat biscuits, crisps, on odd satsuma or apple. He will eat chicken in a tomato and herb sauce (but not without the sauce) and yogurt

 

He does not eat potatoes (cooked anywhat way), pasta, rice, any veg, gravy, sauces, crackers, fish, chicken nugget type foods, beans, spaghetti, beef, most fruit

 

It makes life so difficult! he often misses a meal, as he sits with us and its often tough luck!

 

Noone has been too concerned as he looks a healthy little boy. However, it is affecting his toiletting and he is constantly on Movicol. Also, I am sick and tired of serving food he wont eat. People keep saying "put it on the plate, he will try it eventually", but although he holds the food, sniffs and names it - he has introduced nothing new in his diet for nearly 12 months

 

Help!! any suggestions

 

LisaKaz

Hi

I have been going through the same things for 2 1/2 years now with my 4 year old Dan.He could go days without eating.I got lots of advice from my mum and brother,both of whom have experience working with kids.They too gave up.Dan eats with his father,we are separated,so in the end we made the decision for him to move there so that he can eat.

 

I was referred,by my GP,to a paediatric dietician in Feb/March.She said Dan was of average height and weight,though his weight can drop to the point where he is underweight.She took bloods to rule out any underlying problem and check iron levels(which are low.) Most dieticians will offer you the chance to go to a clinic where they will see how he responds to foods,is it sensory or other reasons,they will then give you an idea of how to help.It does take time though but is worthwhile. So my suggestion would be to see the GP and get a referral.

 

Meanwhile try not to worry to much the more you worry the more anxious he will be at meals.

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Hi LisaKaz -

 

Not much to add to the above apart from keep plugging away and try to keep it all low key. Try to include lots of 'cooking' and food prep as part of his daily routines - enlisting him to help lay the table, wash veg etc. That's not actually a food issue so shouldn't rock the boat - try to think of it as you would him helping tidy his toys or whatever: an opportunity for you to interact outside of golden time that pulls him away from the tv or whatever he likes to do when you are preparing food! If you can involve others in that (inviting friends round etc) the power of peer modelling can make a huge difference in tasting and exploring new foods. I think it's important to serve him the same as everyone else - as you are doing. It's no more wasteful for it to go straight in the bin than it is for it to go through him and down the toilet bowl, iyswim (all food ends up as 'waste' in one way or another;)). At the opposite end of the scale some parents make the mistake of looking for an empty plate, encouraging over-eating habits!

You mentioned he sits with you in your post, and that's got to be a plus.Keeping them sitting at the meal table for the duration of your/your family's meal can be a real battle, but once achieved the long term dividends more than outweigh the short term negatives. 'Proper' mealtimes at the table and stuff are major factors in getting many kids to eat - if they can graze on stuff between meals, and can disrupt/avoid family meals they really have no incentive to eat properly. It's also quite an eye opener if/when you can add it up just how much eating can be done in the casual grazing way - many adults who believe their kids (or even themselves) to be on a restricted diet find that's not quite the reality after all.

 

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the bowel issues are related to diet. It could be, but many kids have toileting problems for other reasons (retaining, leading to both constipation and leaks/seepage when things like movicol are used to overcome the constipation), and kids on the spectrum seem more likely to develop these kinds of problems... Similarly, I'd avoid conclusions about food textures too - any kid who can eat crisps with all those sharp edges isn't going to gag on a carrot or potato for texture reasons and soggy cereal isn't that far away from the texture of (i.e.) rice or pasta. If you can widen the fruit/veg out a bit it might help (apples have a lot of pectin in, which isn't great for constipation) - maybe you could try reversing the usual serving suggestions, offering raw veg (carrot sticks etc)or stewed fruit and (soya?) custard or cream as an alternative to yoghurt?

 

The weight thing is also something you should try hard not to worry about, though I appreciate how difficult that can be. The fact is that people come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and this applies to kids too. Sometimes that's down to metabolism etc, but it also stands to reason that people on a self-limited diet will be thinner than those who eat more widely, and that difference can range from stick thin to morbidly obese. My son has an (NT) friend who is an incredibly fussy eater - drives me nuts if he comes round to eat with us. If you watch him picking morosely at a cooked dinner with the 'wrong' veg on his plate you'd think he was starving himself (and he has a scrawny body shape that suggests exactly that), but offer him the right veg - carrots, broccoli, cauli, roast spuds (and we've recently got him turned on to swede) - and he eats like a horse! I've also seen feats of extreme gluttony from him with whole bags of Haribo and Kingsize bags of Dorittos/Popcorn at the cinema that my own more 'chunky' son wouldn't dream of enacting.

 

Hope that's helpful/reassuring.

 

L&P

 

BD :D

Edited by baddad

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My son has eating difficulties too that effect his diet, for J there are few things that contribute it.

 

Sensory, Not just the taste, but the way it looks, if its with other foods he doesnt like, puts him off eating the foods he does like.

 

Anxiety, this shuts down the digestive system and also reduces appitite.

 

Food allergies/intolerance for example some foods cause him to have migraine headaches and he now has a fear if a certain food will trigger a headache and vomiting.

 

Appitite cycle, J doesnt actually feel hungry, and when he eats he is full very quickly, only until he went on nutritionist energy drinks did his appitite kick in and boy has it kicked in!

 

Dehydration/hypoglicemia when the body isnt getting enough liquid and calories it changes the whole way the body performs and can lead to severe imballances that will have a knock on effect to appitite and bowl movement.

 

Sleep deprivation/ daily routine, having a proper routine determines our diet/appitite as well, if your son is anxious, stressed, sleeping difficulties then this will effect everything. including day time meals.

 

The last one is definate for J, is control and power issues, he uses food for control if he feels insecure lack of power.

 

My advise would be to keep a Daily Diary and note as much detail as possible so food, drink, mood, emotions, anxiety stress levels, amount he had to sleep, behaviour reactions at meal times.

 

In the meantime request to see a dietition or nurtionist, in our area we have childrens centres which may hold toddler cookery classes, or simliar.

 

For us what has helped massively for J is for him to included in every detail of the main meal, so buying the ingredients, helping to prepare the food and then dishing it out, he wouldnt eat mixed foods at all in the past but now enjoys a few mouthfuls of delicous spegetti bolognaise which were about to go and get the ingredients now.

 

We also bought big posters with the different foods we need to eat to keep healthy.

 

So fresh vegetable, Fresh fruit, Meat, and Dairy.

 

JsMumx

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Also I found this out recently that when your are stressed you release a stress hormone cortisol, high levels of cortisol set of Sugar cravings so you want sugary foods.

 

to counteract this have Bananas, porrage, nuts if you are not nut alergy, and other high carb foods.

 

As for the bread, what is it, white? could you change this to wholemeal or a more higher fibre choicegrain.

 

Another worrying J has with food is he is suspicious something is in it or it has been tampered with, or just insists something is wrong with it.

 

JsMumx

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Sympathies as we have similar issues with L who is 7, and the old he'll eat when he is hungry doesn't really work as he doesn't recognise the sensation of hunger yet. He literally will just not eat and we've seen various dieticians in the past who have said that the most important thing is getting calories into him. How a food smells affects whether he will eat or not, if he doesn't like how it smells there is no way you will get it into his mouth. He is dairy free due to constipation issues which had him in hospital for weight loss when he was younger, once he (and it was him) started refusing milk etc the constipation cleared up. He can have things with dairy in it, such as chocolate etc but he wont eat pure dairy such as milk/cheese/yoghurt.

 

He has been prescribed calcium supplements and vitamins so at least we know his body is getting what it needs on a daily basis. He's been really bad over the summer and is visibly losing weight.

 

As someone further up said anxiety plays a huge part in how well he will eat or not eat. Since he started back at school last Thursday he has only eaten half an apple, which was today. He doesn't have breakfast, so at the moment he's having nothing from around 11pm till 4pm the next day when he gets home from school. He will thankfully, eat at home but it is very limited.

 

I have been debating trying to see another dietician but part of me wonders what the point would be as we do, I think and we've been told, all the right things as it is. The one thing we can't do, is force him to eat.

 

I don't stress about it too much now, he is growing, although he's small for his age, and he has been (till this holidays) maintaining his weight which just happens to be on the 2nd centile.

 

It is very hard to not worry about it though, but the more we stress the more he stresses and it turns into a losing battle.

 

Lynne

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thanks everyone!

 

A lot of what you have said is good common sense and I know a lot it to be honesst, just have those days where I have more worry than others

 

I honestly think that Leo would go without food, he had never asked for it!

 

And someone said about smell - he has a very keen sense of smell, he sniffs food, drink, toys, clothes everything. So any new food e.g wholemeal bead would be refused on smell alone!

 

thanks again

 

Think I may see GP about supplements/ vitamins not sure he has everything that he needs

 

LisaKaz

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From this forum and using a Allergy specialist, Apparently when the body is intolerant to a certain food aparently the body craves it, it could well be your son is intollerant to bread, or the ingredients in the bread.

 

All so about the Smell connection, on a programme I watched years ago, the specialist was saying that a Toddler/child may have to smell/taste something upto 20 times before it is excepted.

 

So I would just persivere with letting him smell foods, Ive just smelt my organic muslie and it smells foul, but when I tasted it, it reminded me of sugar puffs!

 

Also there is some conditions where a child smells something but may recieve the information throw another sence this can make it very difficult to help the child connect the real actuall smell, this is called Sensory Processing Disorder and Sensory Intregration Disorder.

 

smell is the key sence that can help us feel hungry but it maybe your sons has a intregration/processing issue.

 

So I would defo go and see a Dietition and also request a referral to a Occupation Therapist who can look at Sensory processing disorder.

 

J can go a full week without proper meals and he everyone at school are amazed he can be on the go all day and yet eat so little, until the prescribed energy milkshakes were given to J he didnt get hungry at all.

 

Since been on the energy drinks he has put on half a stone, his BMI was 13 placing him on the 1 percentile now its 14 so he is slowly creeping up.

 

JsMumx

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hello

 

Sounds like a classic case of gluten/dairy etc addiction to me. All i ate at university was sandwiches with cheese or pickle or something else. i suddenly realised that i had to do something about my limited diet. So i went totally gluten and dairy free overnight. i have been like that except 2 relapses of my food addiction 1 about 8 months later and another a few months ago. Problem is this will have to be phased out gradually. So avoiding anything with milk in it at 1st, then avoiding the gltuen about a few weeks later. im on a recipie forum for this type of lifestyle (this would include non food items as well), PM me if you wish to join.

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Hi

 

My youngest son has always been very restriced in his eating/drinking. Part of it is due to his worries about germs. He has never wanted to eat food made by other people. He used to want to take our cutlery to restaurants.

 

He has mainly eaten bread type products. Bread, rolls, scones, scotch pancakes, muffins, pitta breads, crackers - we've been through them all in phases. He also eats cheese. He tried eating apples but they made him feel ill, not sure if it was the anxiety or the acidity. As he's got older he has understood that he ought to be eating more different things but it is still extremely difficult for him. He will eat roast chicken, roast potatoes, raw carrots, cooked broccoli - we have that every Sunday. He will eat chicken nuggets and chips from the chippie, we have that occasionslly, not even once a week.

 

About 2 weeks ago a radical change came over him. He decided to have 2 Weetabix with butter for breakfast, cheese and crackers for lunch, and chicken escalopes with yorkshire pud, raw carrots and brocolli for dinner. He is now sleeping nights regularly (he has struggled to maintain the correct routine). He also was getting constipated and asked for medicine and has taken lactulose on occasions - he normally wouldn't take anything at all.

 

He has survived for 14 year eating very few items of food at any time, it is amazing what they can survive on. My eldest was fussy but ate much more when he hit 14, had a growth spurt, and became more hungry, I think that is what is happening with my youngest now.

 

Drinking water and taking walks can also help get things 'moving'.

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I have a daughter 9 years old with aspergers and ASD we have so many problems with food and eating i don't know what to do. As a baby getting her to eat anything with lumps was impossible, anything of a certain texture was refused.

We are now at a point that all she eats is Spaghetti hoops, sausages, bread, cheese and plain pasta.

 

She is as a result very overweight and always complaining she is hungry... Due to the weight gain Finding non itchy clothes is becoming impossible and she hates to feel restricted in her clothes...

 

Any tips on getting her to try different foods

how any one else manages

or where to get larger kids clothes would be apreciated :)

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Hi

 

I have had problems with both my ASD boys,eating restricted diets,however both are underweight not over weight. Sam has started eating new foods in the past 2 years or so,he is doing quite well and is willing to at least try foods.Ijust tried not to give into him too much and kept mealtimes to the same time of day.

 

Dan on the other hand wont try new foods,or if he does will spit it out and wont try it again.He lives with his dad as he at least eats something there,for two years he would go weeks without eating,to the point of faiting.As I say he still only eats pasta's and fruit.

 

Has she been to a dietician about this? They may be able to work with you.Dan was referred to one last Feb and they said he could attend a clinic to help him eat and try new foods,I didnt go because he moved to his dads.But this may be an option for you. Maybe the portions you are serving are too large or she is eating too many times a day.Its often not just what you eat but how much you eat.Also some children and even adults confuse feeling hungry with being thirsty make sure she is getting enough water. Instead of over compensating at main meals you can give her small healthy snacks and then main meals,Sam eats 6 small meals,as he does get hungry,instead of three main meals.He is still underweight.

 

Sorry have not got much advice.

Edited by justine1

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her clothes and food issues be do with ASD sensitivity i used to be same struggle with restrictive clothing such as jeans leggings etc ithere is hope for future as i now wear clothes i wouldn't have before so age can make a difference i also didn't like velvet next to my skin neither is your daughter classed overweight? as may be self image/esteem prob aswell as sensitive issues?

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i've struggled with my weight for years been mildly obese BMI was sky high and trying to work on it through daily exercise at the gym going swimming jogging trying eat 3 meals a day breakfast lunch and dinner as used to not eat breakfast sometimes not lunch either just dinner and snack mad on sweets crisps in between .... which looking back now comfort eating attached to when mood dipped got low or anxious stressed i go back to food calm me down relax me! i think also meds also was factor in weight gain over the years of being on endless anti-depressants lot of them side effect was weight gain i also comparing my body image to others even at gym staring at others in my head get really nagry wound up with myself .... and dying to have a flat stomach and feel comfortable in my own skin i didn't realise how hard and diffcult the challenge of losing weight is but does sink in how far you have to go be willing to change commitments make an effort i feel hungry alot of time used to get pangs where would literally hurt rumbling but since exercises i don't experience this as much i'm trying to have determination and will power but so hard keep up the pace as feel like it impossible task to achieve i brought myself a wii fit plus which good fun enjoyable also hard work and effort burn cals off the food you eaten and also exercise in activities you want to have a go at! i go on it every night and go gym every day! hard keep focused motivated

 

does she see a paetrcican has she been checked on percile chart to see how overweight she is? it may be that she doesn't know when she full up which can be common in A.S.D! and has she got low self esteem /image as may be vicious circle going round and round

 

not easy as poeple like to make out i curvy and in size 16 never been in smaller sized clothing only after buying coat realised i can now fit into size 14 jacket

 

i big boned like my mum but annoyingly my twin brother in aged 12- 13 and he 21 years old he that skinny and my older sister she in size 6-8 clothing so unfair they eat loads seem to burn it off fast where we don't feel like weight control everything! so i can empathise with your daughter

 

could she take part in sports club/activities? or go swimming/cycling with you maybe?

i keep a log a record of what she eating when as this sometimes can be eating at wrong time day or night can affect weight also?

 

XKX

 

XKLX

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shi -im new to yhis forum but soooo empathise with you. i have autistic boy of 13 who has a severely restricted diet.he survives on milk -fish fingers waffles yoghurts bread sausages cheese cakes and digestive biscuits. only fruit is in the form of juices and no veg at all.sometimes he whittles it down to just milk.i have been to a dietician in the past but at the end of the day he will only eat dry foods at a certain temp and smells everything before eating!needlesss to say he is quite skinny! however he never gets ill and is going through puberty on time-unfortunately!easy to say i know but try not to wprry too much as i was allso fat as a child and now a size 10!sorry i cant suggest anything but i know with my son i can only make the most of what he WILL eat!multivits are good too but again only in liquid form. :sooo worrying i know but you are not alone on this

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