Published on 12, July, 2020
Does anyone else have this problem and how have you dealt with it, I'm going out of my mind!!
My daughter is 12 and her traits seem to be on a massive downward spiral just now, I hardly recognise her as my daughter these days.
Her traits are mostly sensory based and she struggles every day with many tasks. However recently her new trigger is around food and other people eating. Being too loud when they eat, or use there knife and fork, its causing so, so many issues in the house and upsetting my son and husband.
She will say that she is not hungry and would rather not eat than have to sit at the dining room table with us, which is our time to come together as a family, and has always been so.
Do I let her excuse herself, do I make her sit with us, do I let her put earplugs in or eat alone. I'm so worried that any of these options will cause further problems for us as a family, won't help her over come this sensory issue and make the whole thing a much bigger problem, one where she can't go out socially now or when she is older.
I'm literally at my wits end.
I’ve had sensory issues with food all my life- I have to eat on my own because I can’t cope with eating around others and my diet is very limited. If she is able to eat around others while wearing headphones though that is good. I’m not a parent but I know that sensory overload is horrible so any accommodations that help her I think you could discuss with her what would make her more comfortable. I completely understand why it’s upsetting to others but her masking these types of symptoms by forcing herself to be in situations that are overwhelming to her can lead to meltdowns and other issues further on- and also to prevent her from feeling like a burden on others because of her struggles.
(just based on my experience, I’m no expert- hope things work out for you all)
Thank you so much, it's good to hear from someone who also suffers with sensory overload around eating. I appreciate your honest and insightful advice. It's a valid point about not wanting her to feel like a burden, because she's not, at all. I just want to help her navigate her way through life and somehow help her to find strategies that work for her. I also guess asking her what she needs to feel more comfortable is a good pointer too. Thank you so much Ladybug5