Thanks for your response, its so difficult with Hannah as she has limited speech so you can only try and verbally reason with her to a certain extent with picture cards. We can try the 'bribe' scenario but find that that sometimes doesn't even work - even with her most valuable possessions. She gets quite stressed at new food and anything alien .... hmmm!!!i never liked eating a good diet, and had trouble eating new foods until i was in high school beleive it or not.
In the least, i could have my vitamin, and i drank milk too so that helped, but if it was not spagetti, pizza or candy then i was not interested in it. My parents used to make me sit at the table until everything was finished off my plate. This was a good motivater because i always wanted to be outdoors or off to play, and being confined to the table instead forced me to eat.
Unfortunatly, i felt like i was full, or just could not make myself eat some stuff, i gave my parents a difficult time for many years over it, by this time they noticed i had lost weight and feared i had a health problem (in the late 80's food intake and autism i guess were not related, or they did not know). The dr told them to just let me eat what i will, and over time i got better on my own.
Of course, i think thats bad information, as i am super skinny, but still physicly fit. Maby a rewards system can be implimented, or maby try having them take a few bites of a particular food. Thats about all i remember my parents trying to do, it only worked with moderate success.
How exciting - this is my first time.....hope someone can help!
My step-daughter is autistic and comes to stay with us every other weekend and longer in the school holidays.
Her diet is very poor, tinned spaghetti bolognaise, fish fingers, thin chips, and skinless sausages to be precise - plus maltesers, chocolate buttons and that is about it - terrible eh!
She won't entertain anything different, even though she would love so much more! She goes through phases of eating certain foods at home and certain foods at ours but won't try anything new.
I am so worried that she isn't getting the vitamins and nutrients her body needs for an 11 year old. She won't take vitamin tablets or medicine! How can we introduce new food ....... HELP???