Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello I'm Shelley. I've just joined. I was wondering if anyone had advice on autistic teenagers? My son is 15 and received his diagnosis two weeks ago but obviously I always knew. I'm having a really difficult time over his weight. He's become obsessed with his body. His foods are carefully selected and weighed. He knows the calories of everything etc. He's so upset at the thought of putting any weight on and has lost quite a bit over the last few months. He does eat and reassures me he knows what he's doing and it's not an eating disorder. He just really needs to feel comfortable in his own skin and to do that he says he needs to be a certain weight. I just don't feel qualified in how to deal with him. Sorry for the long post.
Hello NAS76794,
Thank you for sharing this with the community. I'm sorry to hear that you've had difficulty with your son's eating patterns. You may like to have a look at the following article which explores these eating habits in people with autism:
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/avoidant-eating
I hope this helps to understand what your son may be experiencing.
All the best,
ChloeMod