Mealtimes and Meltdowns

yeah she gets so funny with her foods so we struggle terrible like yourself its so hard isnt it like you say you have to keep rotating things some days she can be great and others she wont eat anything its such a worry when she,s like that xxx

Yes they do sound very similar, Good luck with the feeding? Is she ok about eating lots of different foods or do you struggle, like me! There's only a few things he will eat at the moment - I just have to keep rotating them! Xx

hi mel i,m exactly the same its feed on the run she,s obsessed with barney dvds but even when we put them on at mealtimes for her she still wont sit still she still gets up and walks off its a nightmare trying to get her to sit down and like you we,ve tried to sit her at her own table and thats just a no go my little girl sounds just like your little one at the moment lol thanks for the help

skye xxxx

Hi. I have been through exactly the same with my 2.6 - I just went along with it and have fed him Breakfast / lunch / snacks on the run. Is there a favourite tv programme that your daughter likes to watch? I have had success At dinner time with sittinI him in a booster seat in front of his favourite DVD with some finger foods or toys to keep him amused. He still won't eat what I call a proper meal but at least he'll sit still. I've tried sitting him at his own table but that is hopeless, he gets up and walks off after 2 minutes! 

I hope some of this helps, my little boy has always wanted distractions at mealtimes. I am only just realising it is part of the autism.

Good luck

hi scorpion thanks for that your right our daughter is our world she,s so special i mean she has an older sister and brother mind aswell lol and dont worry i didnt take offence or anything at what you said but it is hard to try and not say that its heartbreaking etc xxxx

Hi Skye,

Sorry if I came across a bit accusatory - reading back what I wrote it comes across a bit more strongly than I intended.

As Patiens sort of said in reply to one of your other posts, take things slowly, you don't have to get everything right straight away.

Anyway, I wish you good fortune, and, it sounds like you truly love your daughter, and through that love I'm sure you'll find your way.

oh we do i,m sorry if i seem negative our daughter is beautiful and a very special little girl we know she cant change she is who she is its us that has to change xx

Then let her.

Don't fight the autism, you will never win.

Learn to move with it, and to accomodate it.

Oh, and stop seeing these issues as 'terrible' and 'heart breaking' and whatever other negative terms you keep on using.

You have, I don't doubt, a beautiful, but granted difficult, daughter.

See the beauty, and embrace the difficulty.

She is what she is.

See what she is as a positive.

hi thanks for that advice but she doesnt like to sit anyway she just likes to be on the go all the time running around her seat that she sits on she used to like for her meals a few months ago but now its terrible she just wants to be up all the time xxx

Don't try to force her to do something she doesn't want to do.

Is there somewhere she likes to sit?

Maybe with the lights dim?

Maybe with no background noise?

Whatever it is, wherever is its, whatever conditions keep her calm, maybe that's where and how you should give her her dinner.