{"id":2358,"date":"2017-04-19T22:59:53","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T22:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eatrightpa.org\/?p=2358"},"modified":"2021-10-30T03:42:17","modified_gmt":"2021-10-30T03:42:17","slug":"feeding-issues-autism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/2017\/04\/19\/feeding-issues-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Wet. It’s Green. It’s Bumpy! How Autism Can Impact Eating"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Julie Stefanski MEd, RDN, CSSD, LDN, CDE<\/a><\/p>\n

Shawn wasn\u2019t your typical four year old.\u00a0 Extremely thin and unable to communicate verbally, his entire diet consisted of infant oatmeal cereal with pureed fruit mixed in.\u00a0 For three meals a day, that was it.\u00a0 No meats, no vegetables, no solid food whatsoever.\u00a0 During his first visit to the feeding clinic, staffed by a registered dietitian, occupational therapist, and speech language pathologist, Shawn screamed and banged his head on the floor when chicken nuggets were simply brought into the same room.\u00a0 \u00a0Beyond simple picky eating, this type of response can be common among children on the Autism Spectrum.<\/p>\n

April is world autism month.\u00a0 It\u2019s now believed that 1 in every 68 children meets the criteria for autism spectrum disorder.\u00a0 Common behaviors include problems interpreting social interaction cues, repetitive patterns of behavior, and interests.\u00a0 Gastrointestinal difficulties are common, but the cause and preferred treatment for issues such as constipation, diarrhea and reflux disease hasn\u2019t been fully determined.\u00a0 Problems with communication skills can make it difficult for caregivers to interpret food preferences when attempting to feed, prepare or serve food to their child.\u00a0 Basically meals are a battle.<\/p>\n

Call it what you will-\u00a0 Food selectivity, sensory integration with food, or problem feeding behaviors, children with ASD are five times more likely to have feeding behavioral issues.\u00a0 A child may refuse to accept certain textures \u2014 rejecting those that are more complex than a smooth, pur\u00e9e for instance or completely rejecting anything other than crunchy foods.\u00a0 Smooth vanilla yogurt may be accepted, but offer them a pink yogurt with tiny pieces of strawberry and suddenly that yogurt is a complete no go.<\/p>\n

Children with sensory disorders often will not touch foods which are wet, slimy, sticky etc., and may adamantly refuse to have those types of foods on the same plate as their preferred food.\u00a0 In extreme cases, there may be only five items in a child\u2019s entire food repertoire. New textures and tastes are often rejected, despite multiple attempts at positive reinforcement, encouragement and repeated introduction of the foods.<\/p>\n

Preferred foods often lean towards snack foods, starches such as french fries, processed foods which consistently appear the same to the child\u2019s sensitive perception, or easily chewed, processed meats such as chicken nuggets or hot dogs.\u00a0 Children, especially high functioning on the spectrum, may show significant brand specificity choosing only \u201cnuggets from McDonalds\u201d or certain types of crackers.<\/p>\n

Despite the fact that there is help for problem feeding behaviors, it\u2019s still common for pediatricians to offer the advice to worried parents such as \u201cThey\u2019ll grow out of it,\u201d or \u201cThey\u2019ll eat when they get hungry,\u201d Unfortunately variety is key when it comes to getting enough vitamins and minerals on a daily basis.\u00a0 Children with such limited palates may need key nutrients supplemented to ensure they receive sufficient building blocks for their immune system and growth.<\/p>\n

But what can parents do?<\/strong><\/p>\n