Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
My 4 year old son who was diagnosed with Autism at the beginning of this year and started mainstream school in September. He seems to be doing quite well at school and seems fairly happy when he is there but presents difficult behaviour when at home. In the morning it is a struggle getting him going and he quite often he says he doesn't want to go to school. This morning he had a meltdown just before we left the house and I feel thoroughly stressed because I also have to get his brother and cousin to school too. He is also reverting back to comfort behaviours such as wanting a dummy during the daytime....I try to put him off as long as I can but he is relentless in asking for it and will cry and whine or shout if he doesn't get it. He does seem quite tired even though he is getting a good nights sleep but he's a very picky eater so I thought he may be lacking in certain nutrients. We saw the Nutritionist about this around 6 months ago but she was not overly concerned that his eating habits were affecting his health. Can anyone else relate to this scenario or know of any strategies to improve my sons motivation to cope with things in a better way?
I would probably agree with crystal that school would be the first place to look for a problem.
The only other thing to say is that I would try swapping the fruit pot for some pear pieces (either peeled raw or tinned in sugar syrup rather than pear juice). Pears are one of the least aggravating fruits according to the fedup site. I, personally am intolerant to apples, tomatoes and lots of other fruits due to "pollen fruit syndrome" and I feel better now that I have worked that out. The other question to ask is whether he is constipated. Again I find that I feel much better all round if I am not. (enough detail already, ed)
Hi, my hunch wd be that he's unhappy at school, perhaps managing more or less to cope whilst there + then letting things out at home (quite common behaviour for an autistic child - check out other posts). Has he got a TA at school who's if properly trained in autism? That can be a great help. I presume he's statemented (or whatever they're calling it now !). Talk to the school, don't necessarily believe what they tell you. Good luck
Hi recombinant socks,
Thanks for your reply and the link...a lot to take in.
The possibility of a food intolerance had crossed my mind but as he already eats such a limited range of foods I'm loathe to remove items as he is quite resistant to trying new things so would probably end up eating even less. He was eating breakfast - weetabix or malties with milk, a fruit pot and a slice of toast with bovril or marmite on....but over the last few days he has started refusing breakfast. All meals are hit and miss whether he eats them or not. At school he has school dinners but will only eat potato or potato products, fish products, breaded chicken products and peas and sweetcorn as a main meal. He does usually eat the pudding which is usually a biscuit or cake. For tea he has marmite, jam or pate sandwiches, carrot sticks, bacon strips and some sort of crispy savoury snack. As previously mentioned it's hit and miss whether he eats these things even though they are things he likes.
We are pretty organised in the morning and my son knows the routine we have but seems to be resistant to following it at the moment.
Picky or fussy eating is very common. Even though he is getting a nutritionally sound diet he may be intolerant to some foods e.e food additives/colours/fruits.
Have a look at http://fedup.com.au/ They claim improvements in some autistic children but there are no guarantees.
What does he eat on a typical day?
I can imagine that breakfast time with three reluctant children will actually be quite stressful for a child with autism - and you too! He may well be finding school stressful too so it is not surprising that this will become a battleground. Do everything you can to de-stress this critical period. Make sure you prepare as much as possible the night before and try and develop a routine that they can all understand and comply with without fuss. Try and avoid last minute panics about PE kit, lunch boxes, missing socks etc.
Your stress will compound his stress and meltdowns will follow.