Food Issues High Functioning ASD

[2006hildy]

DS 5 dx'd High Functioning ASD Delayed Expressive Language.

He has serious food issues although he eats all food groups the amount and variety are very small. I know some issues are sensory as he prefers crunchy foods to mush/sauces.

His height centile is around 16 and weight around 9 but he has always been skinny from birth.

Does anyone else have food issues?

It's making us all worry including his school where the school nurse has weighed and measured him. I insist on school dinners so that it gives him the opportunity to try new things and generally think they are a good thing.

Anybody got any advice/suggestions/comments ect?

DS2 (5yo) is much the same. We have very slowly increased the foods he will eat mainly by years of persistence and a willingness to allow him to have odd combinations at meals if he wants.

We keep exposing him to new foods and old foods that he has refused or is a bit iffy on. It took a couple years before he finally started eating peas or carrots. He just recently ate a bit of mashed potatoes after having it put on his plate for literally four years when we were having it.

House rules here are :

• new foods must be tried, at least one bite, the first time we offer it. If he doesn't like it, fine.
• foods he has eaten before (willingly), he must eat at least eight bites (used to be six, but we've recently bumped it up to eight)
• he can have a piece of bread and butter and glass of milk at his meal, but no more of either until he's tried the new food or eaten his eight bites (otherwise he would just fill up on bread and milk)
• as long as he tries the food or has his eight bites, he can have some fruit later in the evening for a snack if he's hungry.
• we try to plan meals so that every other night is something he likes, so we know he is eating a good meal at least every other night.
• we were told it's more important that he is eating balanced diet over a week, rather than over a day, and not to stress overly much about it unless it begins to affect his health or if his weight drops too much, otherwise the food becomes an obsessions or battle.

The "number of bites" thing started mainly because DS2 is obsessed with counting and numbers, and sometimes when he was 2, the only way we could get him to eat was to count the bites he was taking.

We also don't stress over some things. When he was 2yo, the only thing he would eat was the yorkshire puddings. Now that he is 5yo and we've spent the last 3 years exposing him to foods repeatedly, he has finally reached a point where he will eat yorkshire puddings, peas (one at a time with his fingers, but is starting to try the spoon occasionally - gets very frustrated when they roll), raw carrots (not as keen on cooked carrots), roast potatoes (only if he is told they are "fancy chips"), and roast chicken (no skin or bones, just meat). He still won't touch beef or lamb roasts, and is just reaching the point where he is eyeing gammon a bit, so we're hoping he'll try that soon.

The thing is, I would say it's probably different for each child. This is what works the best for DS2.

I will point out also that there are certain textures of foods that he will not touch no matter what... doesn't like sauces of any kind... doesn't like his food mixed or touching... and doesn't like very hot or very cold food... and brings his lunch to school every day (same lunch) because that's what he wants and he would rather refuse to eat than eat something he doesn't want (like school lunches).

Again all very useful comments. Thank-you
His favourite all time food is chicken nuggets or dippers. Bad I know but I thought what do fat kids eat, maybe that would work but no. If we take him to McDonalds the only thing he will eat is nuggets only if the conditions are right ? I think it may have something with the air conditioning or atmosphere. He can?t eat sometimes but if you do a takeout he is fine.
Cheese and Ham toasties usually not a problem. Sometimes at home he will not eat them but if we go to Costa coffee he will. They have two types Panini or regular square bread and will happily eat his and everyone else?s so I don?t think it?s my type of ingredients but maybe the atmosphere again.
It?s weird but so frustrating but I accept it.

We do takeaway every Friday. Gives him a treat to look forward to and keeps him from asking for it during the week, as he knows (based on menuplan listed in kitchen where he can see it) that we're going on Friday. We switch off between McD's (chicken nuggets happy meal for him) and the local chippy (fishcake and chips).

We try to take things we know he likes and change it slightly to introduce new stuff if possible. He likes spaghetti (and will happily eat it with sauce with mince, mushrooms, onions, green peppers in it). So then we moved to same sauce, different shaped pasta. Then another shaped pasta. Then added other veg into the sauce. He's pretty comfortable with about 4 different pastas with bolognaise sauce with various veg cut up in it.

DH & I laugh about it being "eating by stealth" as we sort of sneak stuff in when he doesn't realise it.

Hi, my boy has lots of food issues as well, he has language delay and asd traits but no dx. He also prefers eating out to my food , I think it's because chain restaurant/cafe food is always exactly the same, whereas I would use different bread, different sandwich fillings, cut sandwiches in slightly different place etc. Like Triggles, I aim to challenge DS, but in a realistic manner. So if I know he likes food, then I will strongly persuade him to make an attempt at it, but if it's a new food, then trying it is enough.

Easy to say, but what you describe doesn't sound too worrying - his height and weight sound to be in proportion, and he's eating a good variety of food. In terms of fatteningness, chicken nugges aren't really that calorific. I'ld say it's more things like pizza and crisps and biscuits that put the weight on (but obv full of unhealthy saturated fats so not ideal!)

My ds is 11. HF ASD and now dx with accompanying OCD. He's always had food issues. I give him packed lunches so I at least know he's eaten. My (ex) husband always said..... If he doesn't eat he'll soon learn to, when he's ravenous. He didn't. He just got thinner and thinner.

He weights 4stone 10lbs. His consultant at CAMHS weighs him but has said he's ok (???)

Unfortunately there is no negotiating/coaxing/persuading ect . he just won?t try; developmentally I don?t think he is up to that stage. I think letting him play with his food as much as possible is a good idea.

I can remember forcing pudding which we knew he would probably like, so that he at least got to taste and then could change his mind, but no. I don?t recommend forcing either it just makes a pleasurable experience into an ordeal for the blighter.

He does sometimes think that what you have got must be nicer than his and will try it. That is another reason for keeping school meals. If it?s the one thing school end up doing is broadening his horizons with food it will be a bonus. No - to packed lunches.

My DS 5 (ASD) takes in packed lunches, but has hot school meals. We do school meals first, if he won't eat anything, then it's packed lunch. He's becoming more and more in favour of packed lunch
He starts a new school after Easter, and I am hoping that a smaller environment and different cook could make a difference.
He used to love eating pasta, and when he was at Nursery he had hot meals every day (5 am sessions). I then discovered that he was getting pasta up to three times a week. Guess what! Won't eat it now! He loved little dish Chicken Korma - I od'd him on that one. Sigh...
Meat & fish - Gammon and bacon favourites. Likes Chicken Nuggets, fish fingers, sausages, burgers, meatballs, fish in batter
ALL PROCESSED!!!!! It drives me nuts. So I make my own where I can, buy expensive high meat content sausages, 100% breast meat nuggets not formed, or I make my own chicken dippers, fish cakes etc.
DS will happily eat veggies or fruit everything else is by making allowances for his fussiness. I know that it's textural etc, but when I think back and he was so good at eating when he was being weaned.....

Just a little reassurance that it doesn't mean he will be like this forever.
I weaned DS on a variety of foods and had no problems initially. By the time he was 3-4 we were down to 2 cereals, cheese and pickle sandwiches and pasta with grated cheese and ketchup (boak) as the only foods guaranteed to be eaten.

When I met DH he was appalled at how limited DSs diet (5 by that point) was as he's a real foodie. As time went by, and DH introduced more of his traditional Jamaican food, curiousity got the better of him, and he/we discovered he actually likes really hot spicy food. By the time he was about 10 he'd try pretty much anything and now at 15 is a human dustbin!

He still doesn't like fish which I think is a texture thing and has odd combos - ham, sweetcorn and sweet chilli sauce toastie anyone? I should also have shares in Nutella, usually on hot cross buns, in custard, on ice cream [bugrin]

It can get better; persist with introducing new things, perhaps the same one several times in the same week if you can so he can get used to seeing it.

Thanks married. I know that its a matter of persistence. We are a huge Nutella family. 3 out of 4 DC would coat themselves in it here!!

I do agree that persistence is important, as well as not forcing. DS2 knows he must try the new food, and eat 8 bites of the other foods he likes. But it's not a matter of forcing him... in order to get a smiley to do his laptop or DS time after supper, he must eat something. The laptop/DS time is his reward/incentive.

We've been putting food that he's tried (such as peas) on his plate since he could eat solid foods, and when he was old enough to understand he had to try it, he tried it, declared he didn't like them. So we said "fine, don't eat them then" but still put them on his plate any time we had them for supper, just to expose him to them. After about 2 years of this, he decided to lick a couple. A month or so later, he tasted one. Months later, he is now eating them, with his fingers, one by one, and just starting to use a spoon. It takes forever, but at least he's getting there, if slowly.

DS2 won't eat Nutella. DS3 loves it though.

yes, again agree with Triggles. we reward the positive, and ignore the negative. If DS won't eat something there's no punishment, no drama.

my DS also has started eating a few things due to school - tuna and grapes. and he also prefers processed stuff (sigh) I think he is a little too keen on salty food. He also quite likes piri-piri chicken oddly enough (but only if we eat out...)

I can see food really affects the senses and emotions affect the food!

I am glad we are not the only ones. Sometimes I just can?t believe it has to be so difficult I think that?s why other people wouldn?t get it straight away like school.

You have all made me feel better about or situation though. Thanks you have given me inspiration to try harder with G.

So I have done the shopping with alot of your suggestions today.

There's a good book on the topic called "Can't Eant Won't Eat".It's not got any quick fixes, but pracical suggestions and moral support by the bucketload.