How to get my autistic son to eat!?

[eloiseclay]

I'm at a complete loss on how to get my 2 yr old to eat. He used to love turkey dinosaurs but has now gone off of them.

I put all of his favourite foods in front of him and he will chew it and then spit it out

Any suggestions??

That sounds like there's something sensory going on, either he doesn't like the sensation of chewing or he's getting some feedback from somewhere.

Would he tolerate a GP/and or dentist check - maybe worth ruling out pain?

Is he verbal, is he telling you anything about why he's not eating?

Is there anything he'll eat or drink at all?

@HoldontoOneMoreDay
No he isn't speaking so I've no idea... he moves around too much for the dentist to have a proper look.

He will eat certain things. He likes Apple and toast. He will also eat things like skips and will drink milk, water or juice

it does sound like swallowing is putting him off if he is taking the food and chewing it

could he have a sore throat or be getting indigestion when he eats and its put him off swallowing or even constipated?

Ok so if he's eating some things then that's great. The main thing then is to try and limit upset and stress at meal times so that means you have to put all your expectations to one side. Serve one or two things he likes at every meal, that way you know he's getting something.

Don't stress about him drinking milk at mealtimes either, and make sure it's full fat as that's going to give him more calories. I'd ease back on juice though.

Then add one extra thing to the plate and think laterally. Think picky plates rather than a full meal. So if he likes toast and apple, give him toast and apple and maybe a tiny amount of pepper slices - that's the nearest texture I can think of to apples. Ignore the peppers, no pressure to eat them, but lots of praise if he gives them a try.

And then repeat, repeat, repeat. Progress will be incredibly slow. But try not to worry about it. Also try to stick to regular meal times as much as possible.I think if they have food issues and then ask for rubbish cos they're hungry, as parents we're much more likely to fall into the trap of 'just' giving a biscuit or whatever just because they'll eat it. But that doesn't really help.

You can also ask for a dietitian referral but make sure it's to someone who understands autism, otherwise it won't be helpful and will just make you feel worse.

@HoldontoOneMoreDay thanks for your help :)