Please can someone help with serious food issues? (ASD)

[PollyPocketLucyLocket]

My DS (10yrs) has high functioning ASD.
I've struggled for years to get him to eat anything healthy. He refuses all fruit and veg. He hasn't let any cross his lips since he was about 2yrs.

I'm so worried for his health, and he has heart problems on top of this. Doctors don't seem to take me seriously when I go to them for advice, which I can't understand.
My other DC all manage to eat a wide range of foods.

Has anyone had any success in over turning this?

Yes. My 4 yr old would only drink milk for 18 mths. Maybe the odd grape but that was always a revelation. I kept taking him to Gp but because he was growing and had energy they said ‘well he’s not bad in it. He’s possibly eating more than you resluse’ After a while he began craving ice. He would literally make his mouth bleed from sucking it so hard. Hv just said, ‘how unusual’ Craving ice is also known as PICA. It’s a sensory thing or indicates severe iron deficiency. It took until my ds got pneumonia from a weakened immune system for anyone to check his blood. He was deficient in other areas too. Iron supplement was prescribed but he would not take it. So frustrating. However, I find children with ASD tend to like to win. They don’t enjoy losing. What I now do is put his share on my plate (so he sees it as mine) then say ‘ ooh, lovely potato in my fork. I really hope nobody pinches it before I get it...I’m just going to look out the window’
Low and behold my ds with jump down and punch the food item off my fork. My ds enjoys repetitive behaviour so doesn’t lose interest until he’s actually eaten enough. I appreciate your ds is older but maybe you could put a plate in the floor and just say, that’s mine, I hope you don’t pinch it. Then walk out the room. Hopefully he won’t be able to resist the challenge.
I also top my son up with vitamins chews. I’d tried millions, even drops but he has a strong sense of taste. Bassets omega orange flavour he accepts as they are firm but chewy and a little tangy.
ASD children can respond to desensitising to things. If it takes a neurotypical child a week to get used to something, it could take an ASD child 8 weeks. Maybe just place one main ie fish, meat and one veg to begin with then build from there. Positive reward for successes no matter how small.
Good luck. Let me know how you get on

Same aged DS it's a slow process. I tend to try and add something new to a plate of food he really enjoys. Plain food best. DS won't eat anything with black pepper - although he must do at school. Plain pasta an cheese, piece of chicken and some sweetcorn. Sausage, mash, baked beans. There are a few other dishes he likes and often I can't predict what he will eat eg chicken satay (no sauce), why he likes that I don't know! He won't eat curries, pies, stews but I do serve them to him and make sure there is a pudding he likes afterwards or the sides he likes.

He likes roasts but won't eat roast potatoes as they are too crunchy. Took about 20 attempts before he ate a Yorkshire pudding. I still serve the roast potatoes to him in the hope he will eat it one day, he does have a nibble of it once in a while.

Eating out is a challenge I think he went to Wagamama's 15 times before he ate anything other than edamame beans now he eats one type of sushi and Katsu chicken and prawns with no sauce.

I found plating the food and ignoring what he ate and just chatting about the day best.

Plain bread and butter or crackers and butter if he doesn't like the meal.

We've had many tears at the dining table over the years but now we know he has ASD it's easier to cope with. It does seem that sometimes he is frightened of a new food.

Also don't get too hung up on healthy - DS won't drink milk but will drink chocolate milk. Some nutrition is better than none.

Look up ARFID - autism related food intake disorder. Your local autism teams should be able to refer you for help, though having been through it, it's more dietician reassurance then making you feel better...
My son hasn't esten any fruit or veg since 15 months, except smoothies (only one size carton, flavour and brand), apple juice and ketchup (low salt/sugar at home).
He's a very healthy 12yo. He's delighted he can take peanut butter sandwiches to school in secondary and thriving, so I suspect soon we may be able to try some new foods near him - the food acceptance staircase has 32 steps on the way to eating new foods, starting with being in same room, at same table, food in front of him on separate plate, touching it, sniffing it, etc. Every few months he gets to licking or even chewing a new food, spits it out and we start again.

He'd probably have coped great in a society with one staple dish and rare additions. He used to want to go to prison and be fed on bread and water so everyone would get off his case.

Crucial to his wellbeing is that no-one is allowed to comment at all on what he does /doesn't eat. That's harder. I wanted to tape the mouths of certain school staff, not to mention my mum "all I'm saying is..." Yeah, shut it if you want to see your grandson! She's got much better.

It’s hard isn’t it. My ds dropped most of the foods he ate when he turned two, and a few more since. We’re left with about 10 things he will eat.

Have you read about food chaining, or tried it?