Not feeling hunger

[Lynden]

Logan doesn't recognise the feeling of hunger. We're pretty sure anyways - he's never cried because he's hungry, and never indicates that he wants to eat, although he'll eat when we give him food iyswim.

 

Our OT and psych seem to say this is fairly common with ASDs - is there any way we can help him recognise the feeling of hunger, or will he just 'get it' or do some people never really feel hungry?

 

Thanks

Lynne

[Guest flutter]

my dd is always hungry, so cant help

but wonder if it would help just to have rigid meal times, and he will get into the habit of knowing when to eat?

sorry cant be much help

C x

[poppy]

My son still(age 11) sometimes doesn't seem to be able to tell the difference between hunger pains and needing a pooh pains!!

We have regular feeding times in our house as he then knows that is his time to eat.

Unfotunatley this has backfired on us a little as when he comes home from school its:

3.15-sweets

3.30-savory snacks

4.00- biscuit

4.30-banana

5.oo-biscuit

6.00-Dinner

Must point out he eats nothing all day at school so makes up for it when he gets home.

Not much help to you-sorry

[Bullet]

Ds1 is the same. He's a bit better at home if he sees the fridge, but we think that's because the fridge acts as a reminder, but anywhere else and he'll never tell you if he's hungry. But I also don't have much of a sense of hunger so I can understand.

[Zemanski]

We have the same, Com doesn't even drink unless you tell him to, it is usually caused by proprioceptor problems - difficulty knowing where the body is in space, being under-sensitive to the body's internal signals (often including pain so be careful to check out even minor injuries, I once left Com with a broken arm for 10 days before realising there was something wrong )

 

the person to ask about helping a child develop their proprioceptor sense is the OT.

 

Com is now almost 14 and just beginning to recognise hunger but not consistently and I think it is still only triggered by the smell of food.

 

Interestingly, once he starts to eat there's no stopping him, he doesn't recognise the feeling of being full either, so over-feeding is just as big a problem as under-feeding

 

Zemanski

[Lynden]

Thanks everyone. Zemanski that makes sense too - Logan has a very high pain threshold and we can't believe some of the bangs he gets that dont phase him. We are conscious of it though so take care. Not sure re being full, because he doesn't eat very much but if he does like something he would eat it till he was sick.

 

We are still waiting for OT - tahts the one thing that frustrates us! We had a lovely locum one for four weeks but they're still waiting for the new start.

 

Lynne x

[kirstie]

Lewis would eat and eat and eat if i let him (sadly nothing healthy) he just doesn't realise he's full. I have to stop him raiding the cupboards for crisps and biscuits. He is the same with drinks!

[LizK]

Interesting thread. Adam has always been a reluctant drinker from being a baby and even now I have to strongly encourage him to drink as he just won't bother. As a toddler we sometimes even had to syringe water into him as he drank so little I worried he'd end up dehydrated.

 

Lx

[yoyo]

I have always had a problem with not feeling full. My eating was very strictly controlled as a child, because my mother was a control freak, not because anyone knew I might have AS. As an adult I still have little sensation of feeling full and have to be very careful to keep my weight down. My metabolism seems to be hideously slow too and unfortunately I do not like fruit at all. I have read elsewhere on this site that both the lack of sensation of hunger and the inability to feel full is common in AS - this explains a lot to me as I have always felt I had a problem with food rather like alcoholism, but it is also rather depressing in that it won't go away.

 

Yoyo

[Tylers-mum]

Sorry I can't help with this one b/c T is constantly asking for food but unfortunately it's food 'he' likes which is usually junk of some kind or snother.

 

But, having read what you mentioned about not feeling 'hunger', I have the exact same issues with Tyler where 'tiredness' is concerned. He NEVER feels tired and if I let him, he'd stay up all night if he could. I asked him just a few days ago if he was tired, his usual response was 'No'. I asked then him if he knew what tired was, his response was 'No'. Then I asked, don't you ever feel like you want to go to bed or to sleep?? His response was 'No, I only go to sleep for you Mummy'. Awww!!

[jb1964]

Hi Lynden,

 

Yes I relate to this for my daughter too - although she has got a little bit better the older she gets (she's nearly 13 now).

 

Both with eating, drinking and going to the loo - she never used to ask for a drink or food - and ate/drank very little until recently - I also used to think that she was never aware of the feeling of hunger or thirst - as she would never say she was hungry or thirsty - the same with going to the loo.

 

Even now although she's better - she still doesn't seem aware until it's upon her if you know what I mean - it's almost like I need food now or I need a drink now or I'm going to die of thirst kind of thing - the same with the loo - she won't go and won't go and then all of a sudden she needs to go now.

 

 

Take care,

Jb

[yoyo]

Sorry I can't help with this one b/c T is constantly asking for food but unfortunately it's food 'he' likes which is usually junk of some kind or snother.

 

But, having read what you mentioned about not feeling 'hunger', I have the exact same issues with Tyler where 'tiredness' is concerned. He NEVER feels tired and if I let him, he'd stay up all night if he could. I asked him just a few days ago if he was tired, his usual response was 'No'. I asked then him if he knew what tired was, his response was 'No'. Then I asked, don't you ever feel like you want to go to bed or to sleep?? His response was 'No, I only go to sleep for you Mummy'. Awww!!

 

I do sympatize with you having a child that never feels tired. I was also like this as a child; definitely did not know what it was to feel tired - do now but I am still capable of what seems to be almost brutish forms of energy when I am under pressure nad must achieve what I perceive I need to.

 

Yoyo

[DaisyFulkirk]

I learnt to recognise 'that feeling' as hunger when I was about seventeen years old. Before that I ate - plenty - because I liked eating, but I wasn't aware of any messages from my stomach telling me I needed to. Similarly, I also didn't get messages telling me my stomach was full until about 18 months ago with results now for a weight problem.

 

I still 'miss' those messages (and some toilet-related ones) if I am not feeling well or distracted or busy or very cold. I don't usually ever feel thirsty and I have to be careful to have enough drinks of water in the day to avoid getting dehydrated.

 

I think most people with autism do probably learn what all those feelings mean eventually but it does take quite a long time.

[Lynden]

Thanks everyone - its helpful to know its not just Logan. Hopefully eventually he'll get there but for the moment we'll keep on helping him :-)

 

DaisyFulkirk - I dont think I've ever said this before but I think you are fantastic - real inspiration to us parents of asd kids :-)

 

Lynne x

[darky]

my daughter is the opposite, she would eat all day everyday if i let her. before she was on meds, if she couldnt eat it she would steal it and if she couldnt steal it she would eat anything else she could lay her hands on, including her own poo since shes been on medication she is so much better.

[Hayden]

Hi everyone, i have this same sort of problem, but being 18 and not having a set home/routine doesnt help. i often get to 9-10pm and remember i havent had dinner. i have a routine of having breakfast but lunch and dinners can be easily forgotten about. im currently on new drugs for epilepsy called epilim and they've been a god send cos they actually have a side effect that makes you hungry. it means im eating more regularly now but i have to be careful to have a balanced diet cos epilim can cause weight gain. i thought this was an interesting thread.

I have AS, ADHD and epilepsy

 

Hayden

[Kathryn]

My daughter (17) doesn't recognise hunger either. She'll eat at normal times if the food is given to her but if she's on her own she forgets to get something at the normal time especially if she's absorbed in another activity. At weekends in our house we don't have a routine and tend to just get our own food when we're hungry - sometimes it gets to 3 pm and I realise L hasn't had anything! Luckily she will always make herself toast or grab an apple when she's hungry.

 

K x

[Richt]

I have to remind myself to eat, if out of routine, or away from home will happily go for a day or two without eating anything, fortunately my blood sugar gets so low it kicks in a craving for something after a while. A lady I worked with had a teenage son with anorexia, she used to take one look at me and force me to eat. It just doesn't register on my radar.

 

But that's me.

 

R