My son has Autism and not eat certain food

trazr71 · February 11

My son jack is autistic but he will not eat wet food. Alphabet shapes , Turkey jetters or minions , pizzars or pick nick's. I have tried other fooday but he doesn't like the texture .any advice would be grateful.

Antonia_Scope · February 11

Hi @trazr71 ;

Welcome to community and thank you for sharing this with us. Have you informed your GP?
You may find our page on Textures of food and your child's eating difficulties useful.

mrsaob · February 16

My son is the same with wet foods so I give him veg rather than beans or spaghetti, he likes that.

Pippa_Scope · February 18

Welcome to the community, @mrsaob!

shelby3 · February 18

Hello, my 2yr old daughter also has difficulty with food. She prefers finger food, nothing wet an won't be spoon fed. She will eat banana, biscuits, cheereos with milk drained out, jam on toast and she refuses to give up her bottle for a feeding cup. I was told autistic children have more sensative tasebuds and food flavours taste stronger to them, maybe try bland finger foods. I try to put something on her plate that I know she will eat eg banana and something different to try too. Most of time she just plays with new food but on occasion she does like one. Find what your son likes an stick with those at least he is eating something. It can be very worrying and frustrating but hang in there, it will get easier once you know what they like to eat.

Beverley_Scope · March 6

Hi @trazr71

It can be really difficult finding a variety of foods for children with autism. Every child is different and it is really down to trial and error, but having been a special needs teacher for a long time and working with many children with autism, I have found that bland, beige food is often accepted such as bread, rice, chicken nuggets or toast.

It will also depend on whether or not your child has any sensory issues. He may find wet food uncomfortable to eat or too messy. Does he like to have his food separated or is he happy to have it all on one plate? Some children do not like their food to touch and you can get plate trays that separate all of the different items of food.

It can sometimes be helpful to work on just smelling different foods to start with, followed by briefly touching it to their lips (following each positive action by a reward). Smelling can go on for a long time before he moves onto touching it with his lips if he moves on at all but it is sometimes worth trying as often children will end up eating the same things on a daily basis, ending up with a very limited diet. Try working on one food that you would like him to try and persevere with that food, before trying something new (unless of course it really upsets him).

With wet food, you could try encouraging him to play with the food to get used to the feel of it on his hands. He may feel the sensory aspect of the food is scary.

You could also get in touch with the National Autistic Society for advice:

https://www.autism.org.uk/

if your son has been diagnosed in the past 12 months, you could also access our new service Navigate which provides support to parents and carers who had a disabled child who is going through diagnosis or been diagnosed within the last 12 months:

http://scope.org.uk/navigate

I hope the above helps.

Beverley

ruth_scope · April 5

In my experience in working with children and adults with autism; a lot prefer beige and bland food. Every individual is different and therapists come in very handy in this situation; such as speech and language therapists. they can really help get to know what the child likes and doesn't like as well as introduce new foods gradually. Occupational therapists are helpful also

Vicki988 · April 5

I am the same, I can't eat certain textures (its bad enough I had a choking experience when I was younger) and I am 34.

I hate textures like lettuce, onions, melted cheese, and I rarely have thiings like curry etc; if I do eat them I have to be very careful.

My son has Autism and not eat certain food

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