Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everybody, I’m new to all this and this is my first time writing on anywhere like this! so I have a 3 year old, Archie, he’s on the asd assessment process. He has many issues and many quirky little ways about him, but the one that easily causes me the most stress and worry is his lack of eating! He just will not eat anything that I call meal foods, it’s all about the snack food for him, complete refusal to try anything new at all, I’m at my wits end with it. I give him vitamins to at least try and get some goodness into him. Iv been told before to keep cooking him his meals and he will eat when he’s hungry, my thing is, he doesn’t, he can be starving and still not eat! He gags on anything soft. so I guess the point to my post is, what do others do? Do I just give him what he likes so at least he eats something, while offering new foods in small amounts or do I do as iv been told and carry on cooking his meals and hope one day he eat at least a mouthful?
Hello,
My son was an extremely fussy eater and was diagnosed at 4. Like Archie, he wouldn't eat anything soft. Only hard, golden, yellow foods (anything Birds Eye to be fair!) which is quite the norm for Autism.
I know it's really worrying and I don't know how good his communication is but it will get better with time. I would start by giving him what he likes to eat as him being hungry will just make him upset and may bring on other behaviour, but keep trying other things like @LucyLandRover said.
My son didn't like food touching on a plate, so I found the plates with the sections in helpful. You could try using picture cards of food for mealtimes so that he has some choice in what he eats, find things that he will eat but not in a conventional way like my son wouldn't eat eggs but would eat eggy bread because it looked like toast. Once he gets older, make a list of foods he likes and food he would like to try and pick a new food every day/week.
Try to relax at mealtimes and don't have a battle over food.. No one wins. You know Archie best so do what you think is right by him. I know first hand they will not succumb and eat when they are hungry! I never pressured my son into trying anything because I was a fussy eater too, I have just been diagnosed with Autism at 46! I used to gag on food I was forced to eat as a child but have a really healthy varied diet now. Oh and my son is 6ft and very healthy now!
Good luck.