HELP! He doesn't eat anything anymore!

[aspiemommy]

My Aspie 3 years old doesn't like anything he used to anymore. It has become a HUGE challenge to get food into him. He used to like a few things, like eggs, sandwiches, mushroom sauce pasta... Now, he only likes: pickles, goldfish crackers, baguette bread with garlic butter, tzatziki sauce on pita bread, tomatoes and cucumbers... Also eats bananas, strawberries and blackberries... Oh and shreddies too (cereals). He drinks his milk, he likes that. But other than that, he doesn't eat anything. He spits out any kind of meat we feed him (apart from McDonald's cheeseburger!!!) and most of the time just throws a tantrum if something he doesn't like is on his plate...

I know he gets overwhelmed with certain food textures and how it's presented, I used to be able to work around it, but now it's getting even worse! I am scared for his health because he's quite petite and skinny. We give him vitamins supplements..

Any tips? xxx

 

[Droopy]

It might just be a case of him getting tired of eating the same food over and over again. I like a decent range of foods but out of habit and routine, I will usually eat the same things until I get sick of them and then move onto something else. Try him on different foods to find out what he likes. Try to compile a big list of favourite foods and then feed him different ones from the list. Don't feed him the same thing over and over again as he'll eventually get tired of it and it's unhealthy. You need to keep things balanced but don't force him to eat anything that he doesn't like.

Also be aware that different brands can determine whether he likes a certain food or not. If he doesn't like brand A then try brand B. People on the spectrum can be very fussy about what they eat - even down to brands. Finally, if you feed him fast food then he'll rather have that than anything homemade. Don't let him get hooked on fast food like I am.

Hopefully that will help you a little.

 

[Spinning Compass]

Is it simply a matter of him not liking textures, or has he complained about his stomach hurting after he eats certain things? I know 3 is a bit young, but irritable bowel syndrome can produce much the same effect. I had a bout of that in my 30's. It started out with cramping after I ate certain foods (like corn), then progressed to all foods, then progressed to even thinking about food! I lost a lot of weight that year, unfortunately I gained it all back and then some. You might want to talk to your doctor about the possibility of gastrointestinal issues.

Actually, apart from the McDonald's, I think he eats pretty good for a 3 year old. I don't know too many 3 year olds that would eat tzatziki sauce on pita bread!

 

[juffur]

I'm a very picky eater, although I can't say for certain it's a result of asperger's syndrome. As I grew older I came to hate things I used to eat at a younger age. Really not sure why. My advice is to check with a nutritionist to see if you can come up with a more healthy diet based around what your son does like.

 

[whale_bone]

I always hated the texture of meat. I wish my parents had just given up on trying to feed it to me. So much drama at the dinner table.
His foods are pretty good actually... He just needs some dark leafy greens (swiss chard, kale, broccoli, spinach), and some more legumes...

I don't know... I'd try making a game out of it. What else tastes good with tzatziki sauce? What else can you dip pita in? (hummus, salsa, spinach dip, baba-ganouch...). Or try quesadillas! I'm saying: sneak in the foods he needs with the food he loves.

He's pretty young still but If you can involve him in the kitchen that might help too. A lot of my food refusal was new stuff being forced on me. These things take time to adjust to. if I got to sample something with no pressure to like it or eat more of it immediately, then I'd be more likely to give it a try in the future.. As I go tolder (and could chop veggies!) I liked being able to taste all the pieces that were going into the soup or cookies, or whatever as it was being made. Nibbling on things while cooking made the finished project less daunting.

Oh. And talk to a nutritionist! By all means.

 

[juffur]

He's pretty young still but If you can involve him in the kitchen that might help too. A lot of my food refusal was new stuff being forced on me. These things take time to adjust to. if I got to sample something with no pressure to like it or eat more of it immediately, then I'd be more likely to give it a try in the future..

This is a really good point. I still do this and I am 24 years old haha. I absolutely hate when someone cooks something, and tells me to try it. Even if I like it I still won't want to eat it. For me to try something new it has to be my decision to try it with no pressure to try it.

 

[142857]

People say that kids won't starve themselves so all you have to do is make food available to them and they will eventually eat.

This may work with some kids, but I know with my 6-year-old aspie son that he can go for long periods of time without food, then when he is really hungry he will eat a mouthful or two and forget about it. He can turn to skin-and-bone in a matter of a week or two if we let him decide when he is hungry and when he wants to eat. The best way to feed him is when he is engrossed in a TV show or toy, put some food in his mouth that he doesn't mind too much, and remind him to chew.

My son doesn't mind fried rice - you can cook it with bits of chicken and vegetables and it is quite high in calories, which growing kids need. He also doesn't mind casseroles - I cook casseroles so that the meat is so tender that he barely even needs to chew it. He also likes bananas.

If he is drinking a lot of milk that might be suppressing his appetite.

Don't force feed him. Even though he is only small he will remember it vividly and possibly hate you until the day he dies. Trust me on this.

 

[aspiemommy]

Thanks so much for all your replies!! It's very much appreciated. I will continue trying different things with him xxx

 

[epath13]

I don't think you should worry too much. He likes plenty of healthy foods. My ASD little one only eats peanut butter sandwiches, cereal (only particular type), milk, soda (we only give him when we eat out). On occasion he'll try something else, but most of the time he won't. Sometimes I put some bananas, meat or veggies on his sandwiches together with peanut butter.
If it is a a certain texture issue, he will most likely have to built tolerance to that texture. And the only way you build tolerance if you keep introducing it to him.
When I was a kid I would only eat certain type of food as well (like cookies) the rest I would just spit out. I believe it's all about building tolerance and getting him interested in food.
My older son wasn't diagnosed, at this point he's just considered gifted, he might not have Aspergers but he had eating problems as well. He became very interested in some videos and commercials about healthy eating, now he's eating some of the fresh vegetables, which was absolutely shocking (in a good way)for me.
I recently bought a book "improving speech and eating skills in children with autism spectrum disorders" by Maureen A. Flanagan. I didn't read it yet, but it had great reviews. Maybe it can help you as well...
Does you child talk? And what does your therapist say about the issue?

 

[aspiemommy]

I don't think you should worry too much. He likes plenty of healthy foods. My ASD little one only eats peanut butter sandwiches, cereal (only particular type), milk, soda (we only give him when we eat out). On occasion he'll try something else, but most of the time he won't. Sometimes I put some bananas, meat or veggies on his sandwiches together with peanut butter.
If it is a a certain texture issue, he will most likely have to built tolerance to that texture. And the only way you build tolerance if you keep introducing it to him.
When I was a kid I would only eat certain type of food as well (like cookies) the rest I would just spit out. I believe it's all about building tolerance and getting him interested in food.
My older son wasn't diagnosed, at this point he's just considered gifted, he might not have Aspergers but he had eating problems as well. He became very interested in some videos and commercials about healthy eating, now he's eating some of the fresh vegetables, which was absolutely shocking (in a good way)for me.
I recently bought a book "improving speech and eating skills in children with autism spectrum disorders" by Maureen A. Flanagan. I didn't read it yet, but it had great reviews. Maybe it can help you as well...
Does you child talk? And what does your therapist say about the issue?

Thanks for your reply, Josh talks, quite a lot actually now. He doesn't have a problem letting us know what he wants and doesn't want. Usually if something he doesn't like is presented he just ''panics'' and starts screaming, head banging... He will ask for what he wants and just repeat it 1500000000 times over and over and over again... Even blocking his ears too. It's difficult.

I've been supplementing with pediasure, a protein/vitamin drink for kids and it seems to have increased his appetite. He doesn't eat what he doesn't want to but bigger quantities of what he eats...

I spoke to the therapist, she's kinda useless really... !!!

 

[epath13]

Yeah, therapist or doctors could be quite useless when it comes to eating problems.... Another thing that I would suggest, contact your local Autism organization or try to find one nearby. I found my local organization (Easter Seals of Chicago) to be very helpful, they have plenty of resources and I can always talk to them when trying to find a solution to a problem (usually it's my Asperger's issues but still ) also, do you have Autism support groups in your neighborhood? sometimes meeting other parents with kids on the spectrum could be very reassuring.

 

[yesterdaysmom]

I think that I am starting to understand my son's eating problems better now. I am pretty sure my daughter is mildly Autistic, I have Aspergers and my husband is mildly Autistic as well. But, I am trying to figure out if I should be concerned about my son as well. He is 7. He has always been a picky eater and barely eats anything. But, I never knew why. His thing is that he doesn't like wet foods. So, he will eat raw broccoli and loves that. But, he will not eat cooked broccoli. He loves cheese, so I thought melting cheese on it would work, but he hates melted cheese unless it dries and hardens again. I've never understood why he won't eat certain wet foods. But, he does like soup, drinks and even cereal in milk. It has to be a texture issue. He also has a lot of meltdowns. I think I should have him evaluated also.