Children with autism can be extremely finicky when it comes to food habits. Research indicates that autistic kids are five times more likely to be picky eaters compared to their peers. This is not good news for parents, as raising a child from the autistic spectrum can already seem a handful with managing their education and having a sustainable life.

Needless to say, the complexity to support children can be often overwhelming for parents. Kids with autism battle a lot with sensory overstimulation. Which is why they like to be in a rigid routine when it comes to palate expansion.

For parents, Autism awareness courses can help them develop a fuller understanding of how to be in sync with their children.

Why Children with autism tend to be picky eaters?

Children belonging to the autism spectrum are sensitive to smell, color, temperature, and texture. This leads to developing a strong preference for foods habit, starting from how the food is being arranged on the plate to how certain food taste a certain way in their mouths has to be familiar and predictable. Another common reason for picky eating can be a delay in oral motor functioning. In such cases, the child may have a problem moving food around the mouth.

And because this difficulty can aggravate over time and parents may find it very challenging to make sure their child is getting all the nutrition, parents need to be careful and seek medical help whenever necessary.

 

 

Here Are Some Quick Suggestion For You To Try Out –

One Step At A Time

Many kids with autism are afraid to try new things, including what food they eat or what they wear. So parents need to make sure not to overstep the process. Try doing things slowly; give them the time to develop familiarity. For example, instead of offering the prepared food on their plat right away, first introduce them to the ingredient by looking at it, touching and smelling.

This way you can relate to your child and understand how he/she feels and together you can decide how things can be taken to the next level. You can also play with the texture in similar ways, as these children are also hypersensitive to textures. You can change the particular food by either chopping or blending to substitute the food aversion.

Get Creative

Because kids with autism have high sensory stimulation, playing with food can be a great start to introduce new food to them. Slowly you can build familiarity with the new taste, texture color, etc. For instance, you can add new veggies on the homemade pizza and try making an impression of their favorite animal or you can cut the sandwich into fun shapes.

You can also try including your child during the cooking time if he/she likes it. This way both of you can have a fun time making the meal and not feel burdened. Mealtime can be optimized into a good time when you try something new.

Give Options

Another way you can pull them towards eating nutritious food is by offering them choices, in which they will not feel, the pressure and can easily feel some control over their preferences. Since children with autism like to do things their own way, giving them a variety of options will only allow them to make their choices. Instead of giving them what they said no to already, include some options, you can manipulate their meal by combining their favorite dish and choosing the other serving vegetables. Mixing a new food with their favorite one is always a great way to start.

Have realistic Expectation

Your goal as a parent is to make sure your child is getting all the nutrition he/she needs for physical and developmental growth. At the end of the, pushing your child too much will only lead to more behavioral issues.

Talk to medical professionals when you need help, plan out how you can manage making it more flexible both for yourself and for your child. Always try to prioritize your child’s wellbeing when it comes to shifting things around. Be reasonable with how much change you can expect from your kid and do things accordingly.

Your Takeaway

In the long run, it is important to keep things as much as relaxed as possible. For any parents to help their child develop healthy food habits, it takes a little bit of modeling. Meaning, you can be an example to them when it comes to food choices and mealtime habits it can greatly impact positively on your kid.

Be patient and persistent. Hearing NO one day one does not mean you need to drop your effort. There are several resources when it comes to managing a child with autism at home, Autism awareness courses are one of the way to build a deeper understanding of autistic children’s psychology.

Written By : Soma Adhikari