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Deborah 1

not eating and saying food is dirty

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Hi -

 

I'm a bit confused by your post, because on the one hand you're saying your daughter refuses to eat, but on the other that she is always hungry and is very overweight(?).

Those two statements really are incompatible.

I'm not underestimating how reluctant she might be to try new foods, or the struggle you will have getting her to do so, but all the time she is able to get the things she will eat by refusing to eat anything else she has no incentive whatsoever to try new foods. If she is very overweight, then it really will not hurt her to be hungry sometimes, and if she is genuinely hungry (rather than just saying she is hungry when she's actually just eaten and is just wanting to overeat the things she likes to eat) she is more likely to try new foods.

I'm sure that's not helpful in the way you were hoping, but it is the most practical advice I can offer. As far as getting her to TRY new stuff, you'll find loads of advice and strategies on the boards - I have posted loads on this subject myself over the years, but the starting point, along with all of those strategies, has to be an acceptance that she is currently in total control about what she can/can't will/won't eat, and that won't change until you take control. In the meantime, her weight and constant hunger are absolute indications that refusing to eat isn't the issue here.

 

Hope that's helpful

 

L&P

 

BD

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

These foods are high Fat, Salt and Sugar content, there is sugar in speghetti hoops, the high in salt will also cause dehydration, she may infact be thirsty rather than hungry, hunger/thirst signals are exactly the same, the only difference is if you are really thursty it usually means your already very dehydrated, so try and get her to drink more fluids, but not fizzy, high sugar content drinks.

 

Due to the weight gain Finding non itchy clothes is becoming impossible and she hates to feel restricted in her clothes...
the itchy clothes issue could also be an intollerant issue, when we are intollerant to a specific food we CRAVE it more, the body cant get enough, but the body is totally incompatable, itchy skin can sometimes also be a symptom of intollerance/allergy.

 

Any tips on getting her to try different food
take her shopping for finger foods, slice, cube pieces of veg, salad and fruit and get her to investigate, even if she doesnt eat it, let her look at them, smell, feel, stroke, and graduate to sniffing, to licking to hopefully getting her to be interested enough to take a bite, to taste and swallow, for a child to actually eat a food they may have to have to of seen it up to 20 times for them to finally be intersted in eating it, involve her as much as possible in the homecooking as possible, from making a list of ingredients, to collecting it from the various stores or a farm that sells the products is a great adventure to actually see where the food is grown and what it looks like in the ground, get her to make a weeks worth of menus of foods she does like, but introduce one item she must try so Spegetti hoops, mash potatoes and cooked carrot example, ensure rewards are not always food orientated.

 

Have a star chart of five a day you can buy these from WHSMITHs.

 

Have an active activity three to four times a week to help her matablism and to help her build up an apitite, so dancing, swimming, bike ride, pony riding, rock climbing ect...

 

My son is underweight and we saw a nutritionist and she helped us a lot, so recommend a nutritionist who are experienced in both underweight and overweight issues.

 

We had to keep a food diary booklet and we had to follow the nutritionist instructions.

 

J was on prescribed nutritionist drinks but since september J has put on another half a stone but he is tall, long and lanky so it doesnt look like it at the moment.

 

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

a nutritionist would know where to look, but I think it is better to look at ways of helping her regain a more healthy weight not just for her clothes but for her overall health so I would defo see a nutritionist, some schools now have support clubs for children and thier parents to help them come to eat a healthier diet so do ask your daughters school to check out if there any healthdiet clubs going.

 

Again the nutritionist may know of more clubs/groups for you to join for additional support.

 

JsMumx

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Hi -

 

I'm a bit confused by your post, because on the one hand you're saying your daughter refuses to eat, but on the other that she is always hungry and is very overweight(?).

Those two statements really are incompatible.

I'm not underestimating how reluctant she might be to try new foods, or the struggle you will have getting her to do so, but all the time she is able to get the things she will eat by refusing to eat anything else she has no incentive whatsoever to try new foods. If she is very overweight, then it really will not hurt her to be hungry sometimes, and if she is genuinely hungry (rather than just saying she is hungry when she's actually just eaten and is just wanting to overeat the things she likes to eat) she is more likely to try new foods.

I'm sure that's not helpful in the way you were hoping, but it is the most practical advice I can offer. As far as getting her to TRY new stuff, you'll find loads of advice and strategies on the boards - I have posted loads on this subject myself over the years, but the starting point, along with all of those strategies, has to be an acceptance that she is currently in total control about what she can/can't will/won't eat, and that won't change until you take control. In the meantime, her weight and constant hunger are absolute indications that refusing to eat isn't the issue here.

 

Hope that's helpful

 

L&P

 

BD

 

 

 

 

 

BD (sorry only just seen this thread - well I only joined a month ago!)

 

I think what the OP means is that her daughter refuses to eat anything but high carbohydrate foods, which is the reason she's overweight and always hungry (due to the rollercoaster her blood sugar levels are taking all the time).

 

You're right, of course; by buying spaghetti hoops and (presumably) white bread (which I'm sure you realise are nutritionally barren; it's perfectly possible to be (severely) overweight and suffering from malnutrition).

 

Run a mile from anything which states it's 'fortified with vitamins and minerals' (usually breakfast cereals). If the crud wasn't fortified it'd be as nutritious as the box it's packaged in!

 

I'm hesitant to recommend a low carb diet for a child, but it would help her lose weight (fairly rapidly too) and therefore regain her self-confidence and self-esteem. Please realise that high fat foods (providing the fat's natural and not hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated or trans fat (sometimes listed as 'trans fatty acids') are GOOD FOR YOU!! It's not FAT that makes you fat, it's carbohydrates because they're converted to fat if you don't burn them off. I've eaten a high(ish) fat diet since going low-carb 3 years ago and, until this mysterious malaise hit, I was steady at somewhere between 8st and 8.25st - provided I kept low carb. If I cheated, I knew it immediately.

 

J's Mum: - The thing about drinking 8 glasses (2 litres) of water a day is another myth. As that ad for Strongbow proclaimed - 'obey your thirst'. Same with water. I drink sparkling throughout the day, flavoured with a twist of lemon and/or lime juice. I would also steer clear of 'sugar-free' drinks, too; if you MUST buy them, go for sucralose-sweetened (it's the lesser evil - avoid aspartame like the plague!)

 

I would also recommend curbing juice/pure fruit smoothie intake as fructose is as bad for causing an insulin spike as sucrose/glucose. DON'T allow her to drink her calories

 

The common theme here is carbs - and high sugar/starch carbs at that. Kids become addicted to carbs (I remember my cousin went through a phase in Year 1 where he refused to eat anything but Coco Pops so my aunt refused to buy them; he had to then eat what was put in front of him - or go hungry). Carbs are addictive - especially grainy ones, high in sugar. If you quit them, you get withdrawal symptoms, like an drug addict going through detox.

 

I would always caution against seeing a dietician/nutritionist, because they don't have a clue what a healthy diet is - it's always high-carb, low-fat when, for weight-loss and general wellbeing it should be the other way round.

 

Back to the OP again. Sausages and cheese - both excellent foods, provided she's not got a dairy (usually cows dairy) intolerance. Make sure the sausages are as premium as you can find and ensure they don't contain rust, oatmeal, or other fillers, or added sugar. The high fat and high protein content (provided carbs are severely restricted) will cause rapid fat loss and, therefore, should help her to regain her self-esteem.

 

5-a-day is another myth - all that fructose will lead to weight gain, as will over exercising. Exercising to 'build up an appetite' will also defeat the purpose and make anyone gain weight. When you exercise, your body first burns off consumed carbohydrate (which has been stored as glycogen) and if you push yourself too hard, it will turn on the muscle stores. To burn fat, you need to avoid chronic cardio, and exercise at between 55 and 75% of maximum heart rate for NOT MORE than 30 minutes 5 times a week. If you eat to the point of being ravenous, your body will tell you to eat high-sugar carbs (why do you think isotonic sports drinks are such big business...? Fast acting, quickly absorbed glucose, that's all they are). Because you're eating high sugar, your blood glucose will spike rapidly, then fall equally as rapidly, once again leaving you ravenous, so you'll go and raid the cake/biscuit tin again, and the cycle continues, undoing any benefit of exercise. Because high-fat and high-protein foods have no effect on BS levels, you don't go through this cycle, so you lose, rather than gain, body fat.

 

This is why ads for shredded wheat (made to keep your heart healthy - erm, no it's not - you eat that every day, and you're on a one-way ride to heart disease!) make me so mad!

 

I'm sure I'll be shouted down for posting this, but what I say is true - dieticians and nutritionists don't know squat! One day, I'll become the first dietician in the country (not that I am one, but I intend to be) to break all the current 'rules' and have overweight people eating a high fat diet!

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Hi shrinking violet/all -

 

I think it's probably not very helpful to dismiss dieticians and nutritionists out of hand as 'not having a clue what a good diet is'. I'm not claiming I do, but from what I've heard low carb diets are fraught with many of the same issues that low fat ones are - i.e. if you take an 'all or nothing' approach you'll end up less healthy than if you eat a good, well balanced diet. Not sure about 'five a day' being a bad idea either - yes, fruit does contain fructose, but five a day isn't meant to be all about fruit, is it? I do think, though, it's sound advice to avoid mainlining fruit juices and 'smoothies', but I'm not sure you'll convince many kids that drinking water - even the sparkling kind - as the first choice alternative to coke or milkshakes is going to work. Squash would seem a good compromise, if carefully selected.

I totally agree that the big problem here would seem to be a very limited diet of largely unhealthy products, but coming back to 'refusing to eat' - a limited diet and NOT eating isn't going to cause weight problems; the OP's daughter isn't only eating the 'wrong' things she is eating too much of them. Get some vegetables on the plate, trade some of those carbs for proteins and fats, trade some of that refined/added sugar for more natural sweeteners (including fructose)and you'll be establishing eating patterns that will form the basis of a good, mixed, varied diet, which to my mind seems far more acheivable than a low carb one which eliminates all of the things currently being eaten.

 

I'm really glad you've found a diet plan that works for you, and hope you won't feel you're being 'shouted down'. I just don't think you've left much room for 'balance', or considered the practical implications of trying to enforce a complete change of diet rather than a staged process of finding an appropriate middle ground for a nine year old who's pretty much had (has?) full control over what she ingests.

 

L&P

 

BD

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BD (sorry only just seen this thread - well I only joined a month ago!)

 

Hello and welcome!

 

I think what the OP means is that her daughter refuses to eat anything but high carbohydrate foods, which is the reason she's overweight and always hungry (due to the rollercoaster her blood sugar levels are taking all the time).

 

You're right, of course; by buying spaghetti hoops and (presumably) white bread (which I'm sure you realise are nutritionally barren; it's perfectly possible to be (severely) overweight and suffering from malnutrition).

 

Not entirely barren - they would keep you from starvation - but I know what you mean.

 

Run a mile from anything which states it's 'fortified with vitamins and minerals' (usually breakfast cereals). If the crud wasn't fortified it'd be as nutritious as the box it's packaged in!

 

Foods were first fortified because of widespread malnutrition in the early part of the 20th century. It's not possible to coerce people into consuming nutrients, but fortified foods do ensure that the population gets enough calcium and iron and iodine, for example.

 

I'm hesitant to recommend a low carb diet for a child, but it would help her lose weight (fairly rapidly too) and therefore regain her self-confidence and self-esteem. Please realise that high fat foods (providing the fat's natural and not hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated or trans fat (sometimes listed as 'trans fatty acids') are GOOD FOR YOU!! It's not FAT that makes you fat, it's carbohydrates because they're converted to fat if you don't burn them off. I've eaten a high(ish) fat diet since going low-carb 3 years ago and, until this mysterious malaise hit, I was steady at somewhere between 8st and 8.25st - provided I kept low carb. If I cheated, I knew it immediately.

 

A bit puzzled by the claim that carbohydrates are converted to fat. I thought they were broken down to complex and then simple sugars. Carbs provide energy which means that the body doesn't burn fat - is that what you are thinking of? Also, it's important to bear in mind that different people absorb and metabolise foods in different ways. What worked for you might not work for other people.

 

J's Mum: - The thing about drinking 8 glasses (2 litres) of water a day is another myth. As that ad for Strongbow proclaimed - 'obey your thirst'. Same with water. I drink sparkling throughout the day, flavoured with a twist of lemon and/or lime juice. I would also steer clear of 'sugar-free' drinks, too; if you MUST buy them, go for sucralose-sweetened (it's the lesser evil - avoid aspartame like the plague!)

 

I agree with that! Too much water can flush out minerals.

 

I would also recommend curbing juice/pure fruit smoothie intake as fructose is as bad for causing an insulin spike as sucrose/glucose. DON'T allow her to drink her calories

 

Agreed. Bit tricky if the child doesn't eat any fruit or veg, though.

 

I would always caution against seeing a dietician/nutritionist, because they don't have a clue what a healthy diet is - it's always high-carb, low-fat when, for weight-loss and general wellbeing it should be the other way round.

 

The natural primate diet (ie the one we evolved to eat) is generally low-carb, low-fat (leaves, roots, fruits) with high protein, high fat spikes (occasional animals).

 

Back to the OP again. Sausages and cheese - both excellent foods, provided she's not got a dairy (usually cows dairy) intolerance. Make sure the sausages are as premium as you can find and ensure they don't contain rust, oatmeal, or other fillers, or added sugar. The high fat and high protein content (provided carbs are severely restricted) will cause rapid fat loss and, therefore, should help her to regain her self-esteem.

 

5-a-day is another myth - all that fructose will lead to weight gain, as will over exercising. Exercising to 'build up an appetite' will also defeat the purpose and make anyone gain weight. When you exercise, your body first burns off consumed carbohydrate (which has been stored as glycogen) and if you push yourself too hard, it will turn on the muscle stores. To burn fat, you need to avoid chronic cardio, and exercise at between 55 and 75% of maximum heart rate for NOT MORE than 30 minutes 5 times a week. If you eat to the point of being ravenous, your body will tell you to eat high-sugar carbs (why do you think isotonic sports drinks are such big business...? Fast acting, quickly absorbed glucose, that's all they are). Because you're eating high sugar, your blood glucose will spike rapidly, then fall equally as rapidly, once again leaving you ravenous, so you'll go and raid the cake/biscuit tin again, and the cycle continues, undoing any benefit of exercise. Because high-fat and high-protein foods have no effect on BS levels, you don't go through this cycle, so you lose, rather than gain, body fat.

 

This is why ads for shredded wheat (made to keep your heart healthy - erm, no it's not - you eat that every day, and you're on a one-way ride to heart disease!) make me so mad!

 

I'm sure I'll be shouted down for posting this, but what I say is true - dieticians and nutritionists don't know squat! One day, I'll become the first dietician in the country (not that I am one, but I intend to be) to break all the current 'rules' and have overweight people eating a high fat diet!

 

Most of this advice seems reasonably sound, but as the parent of a child who has serious difficulties with the taste and texture of food and whose health has suffered as a result, my overall comment is 'chance would be a fine thing'. In my daughter's case, we have had to gradually extend her repertoire, working out from food she likes. She was perfectly capable of not eating anything at all, and also used to vomit if food was the wrong texture. The key issue, to my mind, is to move on to fruit & veg and a wider variety of foods. I think J's mum has some very good ideas for beginning what can be a really delicate balancing act.

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My adult autistic son doesnt chew his food ( when he does chew it is minimal) and just swallows it. He can gulp back whole meals in minutes . Unless i sit next to him and say 'chew' or 'slowly' and hold the fork/next mouthful away from his mouth he eats like a man posessed! He has always been this way. I was wondering if anyone else has this issue and wondered if there are any long term health implications that anyone knows of , thanks x

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Apart from choking and indigestion Im not aware of any health problems.

My adult stepson has always swallowed his food with minimal chewing, Just shovels it in and is finished long before everyone else.

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Thanks chris. I was just wondering if it contributed towards stomach problems (IBS maybe) that i have been told he has, due to loose stools and possible/observed, discomfort .

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Could it be a sensory issue? My food chewing can be quite loud at times.

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Yes, it could be that he cant tolerate the feel of food in his mouth, as opposed to just being greedy, thanks

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my twin deaf blind brother is the same as your son but my brother ISN'T ASD!!! he doesn't chew food properly but my parents put this down to him not being able to see how others do it to mirror to copy .... and also he didn't start eating proper solid foods with textures etc until he was around 7 years old so his teeth aren't used to it like ours are!

 

like someone else said my personal opinion i would put it down to food textures/taste and how feels once in his mouth ( sensory issue)!

 

XKLX

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Hello everyone I have just joined.

My G/son has severe ASD now 13yrs.He also did'nt chew very scary.Also textures were a problem in first 5 yrs

and he would not eat for a few days,had a spell when would only eat thin ready brek.

 

He now has very good apetite and will sit and slowly eat every thing. His behaviour remains challenging and has

been in Respite for 3 mths. Hope he will be able to live at home soon, Puberty has not been helpful.

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I'm a 32 yr old female with AS, and am desperate for some advice on my weight issue. I'm currently 4 stone overweight and so very unhappy. I have tried every way I know to lose the weight - it usually goes well for a couple of weeks then I have a total meltdown which lasts for days accompanied by severe depression, much crying screaming and shouting and massive carb binges. I've been doing a healthy eating and exercise plan with professional help last two weeks, but this afternoon found out that a distance learning course I'd applied for had been discontinued and it triggered a massive meltdown. Now I've eaten til I feel so physically sick and I just cant see the point in this anymore. Does anyone know if there's anything I can do in my attempts to lose weight that won't make me go crazy? It's not even that my only comfort is the food - I think my eating is actually a self-sabotage on all my hard work and I've been in this destructive cycle all my life, never keeping a job, never finishing uni. Why can't I just let myself do something like everyone else?

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have you heard of BED - binge eating disorder? as this can bring on high carb food binges ... sorry to hear this! i also overweight i lost 5-6 stone but still have another 2 and half stone to lose my doctor says though my BMI has dropped since last time when doctors and lost another stone since went doctors my weight depresses me so much even though everyone saying how much weight i have lost over exercise gym swim jogging when look at self image i lose all them comments and have my own voice and i also unhappy! so know how you feel!

 

it like comfort eating to help yourself feel 'better' for the moment but then goes back round to badness guilt low self esteem and depression again and blame yourself i've been there could be depression that main reason behind this? are you on meds to balance your moods? or talking therapies? i know isn't easy losing weight keeping it off or mood swings or eating patterns all feed into eachothers cycles and overlap making it an unhealthy battle/fight/struggle have you been doctors told them what you told us here how you struggling with your weight and how unhappy you truly are?

does exercise help with your moods? depression?

 

take care

 

XKLX

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My 8 year old son, with Asperger's, is very obsessional about food. He constantly overeats, never seems to feel full and is always asking when it is lunch time etc. even if he has only just had breakfast.

He binges on dairy and sweet food if he has the chance and things have got so bad we have to lock up the kitchen and cant allow him in there on his own. He fully understands he shouldnt be taking food all the time but seems unable to stop.

 

We have tried motivational systems with prizes of things he really likes but this only works for a few days at a time. he will take food from his sisters if we dont watch him at mealtimes and eats very quickly, not chewing his food. We have to keep reminding him to slow down.

 

We have spoken to his pead about this but with little help offered other than watch his weight.

Is this common with Aspergers Are there others having the same issues. Any advice greatly appreciated.

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Hi,

 

My son is almost 12, and he too has always eaten very fast. He especially likes carbs, and if I give him a plate of pasta, it is gone in seconds. He has always been very agitated if he is hungry. Also, if he is bored, he is hungry. We are especally worried right now as he has recently been put on Risperdal, which does seem to have helped him a bit, but the doctor warned he could put on weight with this. He is often fussy about what textures he'll eat too, and if he doesn't like the smell of something, then he'll ask for just bread - not very healthy! He hates sport, but we have just bought a trampoline, and he will go and bounnce on that a bit, which hopefully will help. I also encourage him to drink water, to at least cut the liquid calories. He is old enough to understand, but on a bad day, that doesn't matter!

 

Di

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Hi Lindymo

I have a 9 yr old daughter (not diagnosed with asd, but brother and others in family have Aspergers)She has some indicators for ASD, anxiety/tics/literal etc, She has been obsessed with food for about 4 yrs and getting worse. we have taken to removing food from kitchen at night and take what we can into our bedroom so that she cannot get hold of it!!! We have tried 'healthy eating' charts as we did a healthy living family course to try and make her see that she needs to eat healthily, the dieticians on it pushed the view that young obese children should fill up on fruit - well my poor daughtter ate as much fruit as she could and spent several days on the loo!! We have asked for support from her paed, but i just don't think they 'get it' and again we have just been told to make sure she exercises, but no amount of exercise could counteract the amount that she would consume if she could. What worries me, is that I read somewhere that a large proportion of anorexics have an ASD, and i can see that this might end up being something in her life that she feels she can 'control' when here anxieties about life become to great. She too is never full and constantly thinks about the next meal/snack. She even came out of school one day absolutely sobbing, eventually i found out that it was because someone gave out sweets for their birthday and she did not get the one she wanted, she said 'i'd been looking forward to it all day'.

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i can personally relate i had this food issue of overeating i used to binge on food when parents went to bed of a night but what i think didn't help the food issue was my MH state of depression/axniety i used food as comfort /emotional reasons to make me feel 'better' ,'happy' so dampen my depression aand anxiety seemed to 'numb' me and make me 'forget' i was given anti-depressants meds and an anti pyschotic meds ( risperdal) i personally believe that because it was given during early puberty my weight problem became worse quickly and the binges became worse too i felt constantly hungry all time felt like couldn't 'control it' spiralled so fast! i now exercise and have breakfast which helps with killing the hunger pants and my hunger pants used to hurt real bad but exercise and healthy eating seems have worked when i was binge eating i latch onto chocolate ,crisps (Junk food)

 

XKLX

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Hi,

Buy a book from amazon called the primal blueprint written by a mark sisson, and you will see effortless weight loss and your health and happiness will greatly improve.

Good luck.

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My stepson is also obsessed with food, bread and apples are his staple backups! After a massive bowl of cereal he asks for another, and after that one he will happily eay an apple. He literally eats us out of house and home. He too eats too fast, doesn't chew enough, just throws it down his throat.

 

However, because of his ADHD meds he loses all appetite! So we are having the opposite issue at the moment, he isn't gaining enough weight or growing as fast as he should be. :wacko:

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Loads of good advice given already!

 

The intestins can be understimulated.. thus not getting and giving (load) enough signals!

or other overstimulated overstimulated parts of the system might overstem this!

 

stress influences the livre (getting rid of toxines..) and when you fear you flight/freeze/fight.. which

makes blood go to your legs and away from the intestins/guts.. thus they function less affective..

Consequently there are loads of people with AS who also have difficulty with food, bowls or going to the toilet..

 

SI-therapy might help in getting some of this better in balance, as well as regular excercise, waking the system by drinking water (luke warm had less impact than colder..)

Also helping with chosing, buying, prep and cooking helps to know what it is that kids eat.. give peace of mind!

Eating in a not rushed environment, at a dinner table is also a good advice ;-)

 

It's all about lowering fear and learning to open up to new things..!

for some, rewarding trying out new stuff sometimes works (know what will entice your kid ;-) )

Making it visual helps to remember what was tried (8 times at least is needed to get some adjusting to taste/texture..)

Reward extra if the child initiates a change, for it is motivated thru certain approach

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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

 

 

 

Compared to my sons diet that sounds like a banquet. We have had problems with his eating from the day he was born, never realy got to the bottom of what was going on. He now eats so little you wonder how he keeps going. He's 11, underweight, full of energy and never ill. As far as we now know with him its a scenery thing, his visual surrounding will often stop him eating. At his new school he cant eat in the dinning room because of the pictures on the walls.

 

We had all the advice about what to do and Non of it works for us, We all sit down at the table together and try to make our sons meal reflect what we have but don't give him what we know he wont eat. That just stops him eating the other things on his plate he would normally eat. And we don't make a big deal about it.

 

Just to be contrary, when we go to my sisters, he will eat almost anything she put in front of him.

 

Our son will eat a small amount of chicken, but tomatoes of any sort are most definitely off the menu, which rules our a lot of the things that kids are supposed to like, like pizza and baked beans.

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My son also has a very restricted diet. He will eat white bread, cheese, chicken nuggets micro-wave chips (no Others) crisps, biscuits chocolate and sweets as long as they are raspberry or blackcurrant. He will not eat ANY veg or fruit, no pizza. He will only drink blackcurrent or summer fruits based drinks. He will eat a mcdonalds burger if we make sure that there are no onions and no tomato sauce. No baked beans, pasta rice, cereal, milk, sausages- possibly if the skin is removed. and so on.

 

We have now been putting a single veg item (that we are having) on his plate and reassure him he doesn't have to eat it. This has been going on for about 6 weeks.

 

We had a major breakthrough, when i told him it would be really funny if he held a carrot in his teeth and we would take a picture to show his grandparents, he loved the idea and did it, before running off to wash his mouth out. Baby steps maybe, but we were so proud.

Edited by Andy

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An Occupational Therapist that is trained in Sensory Integration should be able to work with your child on this. It is a sensory thing, and also linked to anxiety that links to a need for routine and rituals.

 

It can be sensory in what is perceived and experienced, and it can also be sensory in that other sensory information is processed and connected with the eating/tasting/smelling and gets all mixed up.

 

We used to have some strange combinations with my son and found that changes in the name of food made that food unrecognisable to him.

 

In different surroundings he did not recognise food he knew in familar surroundings because the food was in some way associated with the other familiar sensory information in the familiar surroundings.

 

So that also meant that in different surroundings he sometimes ate things he would never eat at home or in school.

 

For example, in Greece my son ate snails! And liked them! He won't eat snails in the UK.

 

He doesn't have what I would call a restricted diet. He eats a number of things out of most food groups. But he does have Sensory Processing Disorder and I know how that impacts on other sensory issues and I know how he has improved with OT input and therapy.

 

I also know my son cannot multi task. So he needs to have no other stimulus whilst he is eating. If the TV is on he cannot eat, because he is looking and/or listening. He can't hold a drink on the sofa whilst watching TV because he will forget he is holding it. He finds it hard to swallow whilst watching TV. Rather than turning the TV off, which can cause huge problems - he is okay if we just pause it will he eats. That seems to help.

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I had to smile to myself and the weekend. As mentioned before DS will not eat vegetables, and carrots in particular are a real no-no. (the colour orange seems to cause him anxiety).

 

We have often tried disguing food in dinners, but he is too untrusting/smart to be taken in.

 

 

He loooves chocolate cake though. I had a moment of inspiration wondering whether i could make a carrot cake, but put in a couple of spoons of cocoa powder and use chocolate icing on the top. DS happily made the mixture with me, and i put him in front of the tv whilst i craftily added two finely grated carrots as per the recipe. The cake came out of the oven a lovley chocolate colour with no incriminating orange specs. DS helped put the icing on before having two good helpings, and more the next day. A small success in the grand scale of things, but i felt like we had just climbed Everest!

Edited by Andy

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hi im new here im jus searching for some advice really... i have two yr old son he was diagnosed with autism a few months ago... he used to be a very good eater but as times going on hes refusing meals and most snacks... he will eat weetabix... bananas... mac cheese n the odd chocolate but nothing else. he will often sit nxt to ne if im eating and stare like his hungry and laugh when i eat he seems to find other ppl eating fascinating.. but disgusted to try any himself. he is non verbal n dont communicate yet so i was wondering if anyone has had simmilar experience n maybe some advice to help him try food. thank you

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is he sensensitive to certain tastes and textures im like that- but im better but got a lot of foods i will eat and wont eat . one i wont eat is gluten free bread i find it disgusting and so wont touch it. have u looked into the reason why he laughs there number of reasons i laugh if im anxious, not understanding something or finding something amusing.

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My experience of toddlers says that most kids of that age without autism also go through something similar with food. Everything I have read in books also backs this up. Refusing foods and becoming rigid in diet is incredibly common in two and three year olds. Speak to other parents about how they deal with it when it comes to their neurotypical children - it's entirely probable that this has nothing to do with his autism. This article may help you.

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yes he is very particular about what he will touch and often dismisses things straight away without looking, trying or touching. he hates anything rubbery textured or crumbly like cake. he does seem to get a bad belly im wondering if that would also go with his not eating. he also likes to put food he likes on his feet maybe it feels nice to him.(gud job hes feet are clean) ANd yes thank you i will look at that article now... i hope it is just a general faze as hes quite hyperactive and normally needs food little and often hes losing weight. we are on wsiting list to see a dietician. hes also very fussy with brands. thank u both for replying. :-)

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sounds like his sensory needs are towards food are part of autism. but if he is getting an upset stomach have u recorded it, i was colic as a toddler but now im lactose and gluten intolerant so bare that in mind because they can happen and common in asd

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Our son has always had certain foods he would not eat, The list got so long it was almost impossible to find anything he would eat, but its got a lot better now. Hes now 12. One thing we found was that he does not always feel he is hungry. He now eats more out of habit, its time to eat, rather than having any desire to eat. He would happily have rice and cheese for every meal. What he will eat is often influenced by the environment. When at my sisters house he will eat almost anything put in front of him. What he will eat goes in phases, thing go in and out of fever.

 

Despite his very limited diet and small amount he eats, he was underweight as a baby, still is, he is seldom ill and always has plenty of energy. The only real advice we ever received (From the medical profession) is to give him a multi vitamin supplement.

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From someone who has been there and done that (my lad is now 18 and nearly 6 feet tall) my biggest piece of advice is to not make an issue of food. This is a critical stage and if you can remain calm and not get anxious about his not eating, then you can prevent it from becoming a much bigger issue in the future. Don't get upset or worried if he won't eat but continue to offer him all the usual foods you have been offering without fuss. Leave healthy snacks lying around that he can try without pressure if he wants to but try not to make a big thing of it if he doesn't. If he doesn't eat the food you've offered, calmly take it away without commenting until it's time for the next meal. The most important thing, and I can't stress this enough, is to not get stressed about it yourself as he will pick up on this and food can then become a massive problem and battleground.

 

~ Mel ~

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Thank you it is all really good advice i shall be using i have started recording what hs eats and when his belly is bad... also i have been and got suitable snacks that can be left out for a bit. its nice to get everyones opinions, sometimes dont see things that other people can. :-)

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My little boy did this at 2 and at nearly 5 has only improved slightly

 

He eats bread, cereal, the odd apple, yoghurt and chocolate mini rolls and drinks only water. He eats no meat, fish, cheese, veg, fruit (other than apples) rice, pasta or potato

 

We see a dietician. And although on the low end of the spectrum weight wise he is very healthy and full of energy. She thinks that with a vitamin supplement add things gradually and he will or will not have them

 

At the end of the day you cant make them eat! The more you make a big thing of it the worse they seem to get!

 

Hope things gradually improve

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he is non verbal n dont communicate yet so i was wondering if anyone has had simmilar experience n maybe some advice to help him try food. thank you

 

Yes all kids, autistic or not will go off certain foods/stop eating etc at that age but they will never go starving.

 

If he is not communicating yet, this raises another red flag. Have you taken him to have his hearing assessed?

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The book 'Cant eat wont eat' explains selective eating ie eating for certain textures.

 

'Dietary interventions and ASD' is another book for changing an ASD kids diet.

 

i havent had this problem myself until university where i ate nothing but sandwiches and about 5 packs per day.

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