Pizza! Oh, what I would do if Junior Mint ate pizza! We even offered him a nice reward of a new toy if he took one night of pizza this weekend and no go. He eats Grilled Cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, frrench fries (he loves those), all kinds of snacks like goldfish, chips, pretzels. We kind of have to force the fruit but he will take 5-8 bites of a banana which my Dad makes him do every day since he knows how limited his diet is. He used to eat chicken nuggets but one night, he had them for dinner, and later on he got sick, not from the nuggets, he just go the flu or something and was puking all up so after that, never a bight of nuggets at all. He has taken a bit or 2 of carrots, I guess I should focus more on the stuff we have had success with like carrots and banana as suppliments.
I would love for him to eat pizza or a cheesburger! When that happens, man, you will here me on the board.
We definitely have food issues over here too! Gavin keeps to mostly
My daughter will only eat smashed foods. She has a pretty healthy diet, but won't chew. We put everything we make in a mini food processor and smash it up. If there's ever a small bit of carrot or chicken that doesn't get smashed, she won't chew it; she'll just gag and spit it out. It's a pain to travel; we have to carry the food processor with us.
Gavins mom... I agree with you.... i've had people tell me since Zach started having the food issues at like 18 months old... just don't offer him anything else except the foods you want him to eat... he'll eventually comply... and I used to just ignore it untill I finally got completly annoyed and tee-ed off and said.... "Look, if it was your kid would you let them starve for days and days at a time just because they wouldn't eat what you wanted them too???... I'm glad for you that you can be so strict and uncarrying, but I know what it's like to be hungry and I won't make him feel that way if I can help it."
See what these so called "i just wanna help" having good intentions people don't get is this.... every kid... EVEN NEUROTYPICAL kid on earth is different... and just because your's gives in when you push them to the brink, does not mean mine will... in fact we have learned that Zachary uses his food and eating habits as a control mechanism. Zach is non-verbal and therefore can't always tell me when things are bothering him or things are just not right... But I know it if He won't eat. So I don't care if I only offer him fruits and veggies for a week... the kid will not eat it... plain and simple... he would starve himself. Everyone says ohh no no... His survival mode will kick in.... Ummmm do kids with sensory deprivation issues have survival mode??? I don't know ... I mean a lot of them have no understanding of danger what so ever... walk out in front of cars, put thier hands on hot stoves. *shrugs* what makes these people think that forcing them to starve affects them in any sort of way at all.... yes I'm sure they are hungry... but thier brain might not be able to process that THAT is exactly what is going wrong. .... LOL sorry that is a sore subject with me... I used to get yelled at all the time for not making Zach eat healthier. People treated me like I was this horrible mom, like I wasn't willing to try hard enough.
With both of mine , with the veggies I had to add sugar to them. It is an old southern trick to get kids to eat veggies and it worked for me!!! Also with Jeffrey I had to use a food processor and blender to get him to eat anything at that age. And as their neuro told me, don't make them eat something if they don't want it. If you do, they will grow to hate food. And she is the best neuro ever!!! She even comes to my IEP meetings and gave me her home phone number in case of emergencies.
Tammy
My nephew Anthony's diet is...:
His cookie and his cookie only-[a butter wafer]
cheerios
pastina
and one or two baby food jars--ofcourse his milk bottle [sippy cup is being introduced now with hardly any result-but we have faith] and juice.... hows that for food issues?
He does have a habit of pouring his drink onto his plate when he's finished though. THis of course gets his father into a terrible state. I try to calmly take it away at the first sign he might be done. A pre-emptive strike as it were.
michelle
Ah the feeding issues related to autism. LOL Maybe one of these links may be beneficial to someone
Sensory Integrative related feeding probs
Functional Feeding Issues in Autism Leo has major sensory issues with food and won't eat ANY finger good AT
My son when I gave him spaghetti would eat the pasta and now the sause now he can't stand pasta! He is picky on occassion and you never know what he likes! My son has food issues too. Not quite that severe though. He often did gag and sometimes still does. He eats only specific foods, and has even cut out some he used to eat well lately. But it's not a bad variety and it doesn't seem to matter much on if it is cold, mushy, hot, etc. He used to be really difficult earlier on. He's gotten better. I dont know how or I would give you advice. He still eats almost no meat. Sometimes scrambled eggs. I use peanut butter on bread, cheese (only the sliced individually wrapped), yogurt, and milk for protein. He will eat fruit cocktail from the can, bananas, and most bread things like cereal, crackers, and bread. So it's improved. He still screams when I brush his teeth and he has tongue issues/stims. He rolls and curls his tongue in his mouth a lot and it's very noticable and sort of cute lol. This is actually a fairly new stim of his. Something new every week with him lol. I just kept offering things to ds and once in a blue moon he'd try it. Maybe after doing that so much he decided he should try it rather than be hungry? I don't know he started improving for some reason around 18mths. I'm sorry I don't think my 2 cents was very helpful. Amber We are a crunchy eater here. If its not crunchy forget it. It won't make even to her hands. She doesn't eat ice cream or anything like kids would normally eat. When we go get ice cream for the other kids she gets french fries.
She will eat her weight in salad mix and I mean its like a prize looking for the hidden carrots, cabbage. LOL That is of course with no dressing because of course dressing makes it soggy. Does anybody have this happen? When she is given a plate she starts out eating maybe one bite from the plate with fingers. After that she will put her face on the plate and eat (like a dog) I try and let her not do it but turn your head and there she goes. Oh and we only use plastic forks, spoons. Metal makes her gag but since we eat all crunchy none really can be put on a fork.
Zach's diet consists of Chicken Nuggets, Pizza (thin crust and full of everything so it's super flavorful), Fries, DRY cereal, French Toast, Grilled Cheese (and it better be crunchy bread), Peanut butter on toast. Ohh not to mention that all of this food better be like room tempeture... meaning cold... He likes to snack also... crackers, chips... basically anything crunchy *laughs* .... Now if I could only get the kid to eat a vegitable or a fruit I'd be in heaven. *laughs* Ice cream... whats that... Zach doesn't want nothing to do with it.
Amber Oh wow the things I learn on here. If I didn't feed DD except what I wanted her to eat she would smuggle paper. LOL if she is stressed paper is her chocolate. I have found though that the only stress reliever that works other than paper is the little pellet ice. It gets softer but still gives her the right amt of crunch. Sonic did sell it but ice machine broke. LOL I was in a frenzy until I found a seafood house that sold it. Should have seen their faces when I go in and request a bag of ice.
Oh and when DD is finished she will wait until you turn your head and throw the plate down. OOPSY
But DH thinks it isn't funny even though he isn't the cleaner. lol Mines a little helllion too. You know as irritating as it is for him to waste food. I'd lethim double our food budget to be able to take him to the park without worry that he'd hurt someone mikki who'm I kidding I'd give most anything to assure he'd have successful interaction with peers My ds fluctuates... one day all crunchy next all soft/smooth depending on anxiety levels. When he is a bit out of control he wants the crunch. And he doesn't seem to feel hunger... so he can go days without eating if he doesn't get what he wants :( Then some days he will eat tons and doesn't stop. The whole wait till he's hungry he won't starve just doesn't apply. The dr said that I should feed him whatever he wants to get something down him because he is small and skinny. .. so if that means McD's a couple times a week, it is something (not that I mind it all that much :P) I have given up on "meals" and just feed him when I can and what he wants. He has enough issues, I don't want food to become one because of my hang ups :P I stick tofu into almost everything so he gets some added omphh!!
ALL unless they are those sponge fingers (really soft sugary biscuits).
Other than that he will only eat 1 of 3 organic toddler (jar) meals: Chicken
with rice and vegetables, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Chicken with Noodles.
Generally all mushy stuff.
As a 12 month old whenever we introduced food with texture he would
gag and sometimes vomit when food touched the back of his throat.
Since then his diet is fairly limited.
Who else's kids have issues with food? I know its fairly common in ASD.Same experience here. My son would frequently vomit once something went into his mouth that caused a sensory issue. With the help of OT, he is now overcoming his sensory issues and will eat a fairly broad range of foods. At least those jar meals that you mentioned are nutricianally balanced so at least you have that going for you. I still cannot figure out my son's sensory issues on eating. But he definitely has them. He mostly wants milk from a bottle. Other than that he likes mashed potatoes and bananas, both of which he squishes through his hands over and over and later eats them. He likes most pastas. He likes geometrically shaped foods like crackers or fruit loops. But he likes to play with those once again more than eat them. He does like cheese. Sometimes he likes peanut butter. He likes frosting and ice cream (but the ice cream has to be partially melted so it is soft and not super cold). Levi seems to get brain freezes easier than the rest of us from very cold drinks or food.
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