in big hurry, but just wanted to say thankyou to everyone who has posted, will be trying everything with DS hoping that something will work!

crokky - my ds is 4.3 months, was formally dx ASD at 3.7 months. We have just finalised the statementing process and are currently deciding his school placement for Sept 2010 (we deferred his mainstream placement due to start last Sept and transferred him from the nursery setting he was attending to an integrated nursery). We have massive problems with food! Although he eats a well balanced diet nutritionally its from a small amount of dishes. He doesn't tolerate lumps or more accurately he doesn't tolerate lumps where he doesn't think they should be! So he won't eat lumpy versions of meals that were first served to him pureed. He is also over sensitive to smell and therefore if he doesn't like the smell it won't even get to his mouth. I cooked a batch of Shepherd's Pies the other day (a favourite of his) but couldn't get our usual brand of tomato puree - I used a different one and based on smell alone he refused the meal (I'd made enough for 10 meals ).

But with respect to your original post and his refusal to eat at school - I had to reply to let you know some remarkable progress we've just had. Like your son, my ds has consistently refused to eat at Nursery - this has been going on since he started in September 2008! The integrated setting he transferred to in June 2009 had some very little success (one bite here and there) but no real success to speak of despite implementing various strategies to assist. Last Thursday night we had our second Home Visit from a Consultant Behavioural Psychologist who is very well thought of in this area - we first met him during the original MDA. When we discussed this with him, he said that ASD children often refuse food when they feel stressed/anxious in a group setting but this is often missed because the child is not displaying that emotion. His advice was to take the child away from the group, into a quiet corner with a teacher/assistant who sits with him but does not actively encourage/interact with the child so he does not feel any attention/pressure to eat. Nursery did this with my son the very next day - the teacher actually sat by the side of him but read a book. He ate his whole sandwich - the teacher said she was desperate to interact/praise him but instead when he finished she gave him his crackers - he ate all 3. Again she just calmly gave him his yougart - and he ate it all!

When I picked him up he was wearing a 'good eating' sticker and the teachers were celebrating! Obviously its only one day so far but he has never ate more than a nibble since Sept 2008 in a group setting and he always showed signs of being perfectly content/happy sat with the other children but I suppose inwardly he felt under too much pressure/that the spotlight was on him!

Sorry very long post - but wanted to share the strategy with you. I can't wait for Monday and hopefully more success! Good luck with anything you try but the above idea is worth a go - we couldn't believe it.

crokky - my ds is 4.3 months, was formally dx ASD at 3.7 months. We have just finalised the statementing process and are currently deciding his school placement for Sept 2010 (we deferred his mainstream placement due to start last Sept and transferred him from the nursery setting he was attending to an integrated nursery). We have massive problems with food! Although he eats a well balanced diet nutritionally its from a small amount of dishes. He doesn't tolerate lumps or more accurately he doesn't tolerate lumps where he doesn't think they should be! So he won't eat lumpy versions of meals that were first served to him pureed. He is also over sensitive to smell and therefore if he doesn't like the smell it won't even get to his mouth. I cooked a batch of Shepherd's Pies the other day (a favourite of his) but couldn't get our usual brand of tomato puree - I used a different one and based on smell alone he refused the meal (I'd made enough for 10 meals ).

But with respect to your original post and his refusal to eat at school - I had to reply to let you know some remarkable progress we've just had. Like your son, my ds has consistently refused to eat at Nursery - this has been going on since he started in September 2008! The integrated setting he transferred to in June 2009 had some very little success (one bite here and there) but no real success to speak of despite implementing various strategies to assist. Last Thursday we had our second Home Visit from a Consultant Behavioural Psychologist who is very well thought of in this area - we first met his during the original MDA. When we discussed this with him, he said that ASD children often refuse food when they feel stressed/anxious in a group setting but this is often missed because the child is not displaying that emotion. His advice was to take the child away from the group, into a quiet corner with a teacher/assistant who sits with him but does not actively encourage/interact with the child so he does not feel any attention/pressure to eat. Nursery did this with my son the very next day - the teacher actually sat by the side of him but read a book. He ate his whole sandwich - the teacher said she was desperate to interact/praise him but instead when he finished she just gave him his crackers - he ate all 3. Again she just calmly gave him his yougart - and he ate it all!

When I picked him up he was wearing a 'good eating' sticker and the teachers were celebrating! Obviously its only one day so far but he has never ate more than a 'nibble' since Sept 2008 in a group setting and he always showed signs of being perfectly content/happy sat with the other children but I suppose inwardly he felt under pressure/that the spotlight was on him!

Sorry very long post - but wanted to share the strategy with you. I can't wait for Monday and hopefully more success! Good luck with anything you try but the above idea is worth a go - we couldn't believe it.

my ds has a lot of sensory issues and needs constant movement etc and also loves playing with things like play doh, though more often than not would prefer to flood the bathroom, mix coffee into yoghurts, pour things from one thing to another etc etc but we have found by getting him to help to cook things he will try them, often he doesnt eat more than one taste but occassionally he will eat a little more, mashed potato works well as is fun squashing it and gives him all the feelings he loves, he only eats a mouthful mostly but i feel its better than nothing so i do it all for a very tiny mouthful to be sucked and often spat out but in the hope than one day he will swallow it and have some more, occassionally happens and for that reason i spend my life making food with him that he doesnt eat but hey hoping for a success one day, just an idea but might work for you?

oh thats good. Not that I eat much junk food but its nice to know.

Hi just want to say ds experience.

He ate 5 foods including 2 baby jars at the age of 3.5yrs. Started eating programme....we worked on jacket pot for a whole year and he still vomits.

But slowly we have got him eating meats/fruits/other carbs (rice and pasta, baked beans)

He eats about 20-30 different foods now and he is 5yrs.

We introduce one food at a time...so say because he loves micro chips....I will put chicken with it and say you can have a microchip if you have chicken...this can result in weeks of no lunch and gagging and vomiting....but slowly ds took tiny pieces of food and build up slowly. Even for example baked beans....he learnt to eat them on their own...then had to learn to eat them on toast, then with chiken/sausage/bacon etc each time was like starting again with new food.

It takes a long long time.

PS McD's Hash Browns are CFGF too...on the tray they put slip paper...on back it has guide to what food has what in it HTH x

JUst looked on the McDonalds website, and they are infact 100% gluten free

Do any of you ladies know if MacDonalds chips are gluten free?

DS2 (4 + ASD) used to be really bad with food, still is quite picky, but not as bad. He will at least eat bananas and strawberries, but has stopped eating broccoli, which was the only veg he would eat. He also likes McDonald chip.

I also used to get really worked up about what he was eating, and hated having to cook him something different to everyone else. But I have changed my attitude after the advice I was given on here.

Anyway, sorry I'm blabbering on, DS2 eats a few new things now, and the way we have gotten him to try different foods, is not to put it on his plate, but to lick something we are eating (obviously not eating it after he has licked it). It takes a while for this to progress, licking leads to tiny little nibbles, then a proper mouthful, then a tiny amount on his plate, growing bigger an eventually he has liked a couple of new things. Like strawberries. That took all summer holidays!

I also found that giving him an option with food (ie, crisps or sandwich), gives you the chance to introduce new things into their diet without it looking like you are forcing them to.

My son is almost 6 (ASD) and his diet is awful he has recently had a blood test for anaemia and been refered to a paed. as they are very concerned about his health due to his diet,ive feel ive tried everything he only eats chips,waffle,breadsticks,chocolate(but not alot),some haribo sweets and he drinks lots of milk and its because of the amount of milk that they are particuarly worried,not much advice but we try not to make an issue of food and we hope the paed. has some good advice for us.