COLD | Autism PDD

Sorry- it was supposed to be a video of him crying and throwing a little fit because he had fallen in the snow. He can't take being outside for more than 5 minutes. He will run to the nearest house. It's like he's in major pain. I never heard anyone talk about it before.B doesn't like the cold. Thank God it doesn't snow here. He won't eat ice cream or any cold food. His chocolate milk even has to be room temperature.

A few winters back. I was trying to get him to play in the snow. He can't stand it, and he hates anything cold. Popcicles, ice cream-it even took a while before he liked anything out of the fridge. Anyone else's kid like this?

MiMom339365.2182407407That's exactly what I thought! "what's he doing? break dancing?"

J is sensitive to cold--one of the reasons he hates swimming. Thank
goodness it doesn't snow here--I don't think he could handle it.

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Anyone else's kid like this?

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/Mimom3/100_0122.jpg

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By, "this" do you mean, "good at break-dancing?" That is what the pic looks like to me! <Shrug>

camusa39364.5483912037Andrew is the only kid I know that doesn't like ice cream, its too cold for him. He never seemed to have a problem with the weather, we moved to Florida a year ago. He's ok with the refrigerator cold stuff, but no ice cream.

The frozen food issue and the playing in the snow issue might possibly be two separate things. The food issue could be oral defensiveness:

"The “feel” or touch of the food is commonly a sensory factor for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. The temperature or texture of foods needs to be just “right.” It is common for children to insist on all foods being at room temperature. This may mean that cold foods such as ice cream or popsicles are not tolerated and that foods that are cooked need to be cooled to room temperature before the child will eat them."

Source: http://files.meetup.com/14184/mealtime%5B1%5D.html

Playing in the snow could be problematic because of visual issues (the glare off the snow), problems with light touch (if snow fell or blew on my son's face he would freak out at the beginning of the season), or problems with the feel of winter clothes (another seasonal transition problem for my son). It could also be the cold itself, like you said, but I'm just trying to throw out some other options from my experience.

A couple years ago I had trouble with sensitive teeth, and they'd bother me when I rinsed with cold water after brushing and also when I was outdoors in the winter. My dentist recommended changing to a milder toothpaste and taking extra fluoride helped strengthen the enamel layer. The problem went away quickly. The cold sensitivity is something you might want to run past your child's dentist, just in case.

Good luck with everything. I hope some more parents on this forum have some experience to share with you.

Zachary has the complete opposite issue - he has heat intolerance. He hates the middle of summer, and will usually run from the car and into the house on the hottest days. He loves too be outside, but only when the temp starts cooling down.

His favorite thing to eat is popsicles, and he loves to chew on ice cubes.

He does overheat quickly, and when everyone is bundled up he starts getting comfortable. I have to listen to others tell me "he must be cold" for months. He's much happier feeling slightly cold, than being overheated.

T HATES cold -- even cool showers, ice cream, ice in drinks, wind on her skin ... you name it! She tends to be sensroy-avoidant.

Somehow she still liked popsicles, but that is a major exception! Her brother the sensory - seeker chews up his ice from drinks, and asks for MORE!

I think for some reason cold is too stimulating.