I wanted to share a quick example of why it’s so hard to keep Emmett, my youngest with Autism, fed.
Below you will see a picture of a piece of pizza that Emmett wanted to eat this morning. After heating it up however, he began to panic and ultimately decided that he couldn’t eat it because it was missing some cheese at the very tip of the triangular slice.
There is absolutely no way to work through this with him.
I’m so frustrated because he’s not eating much of anything, as a result of these sensory issues. I don’t have the budget left to survive this right now, but Emmett needs to eat.
It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to help him find something he’s capable of eating.
Can anyone else relate?
I wonder if he could have eaten that piece if he hadn’t panicked. Seems like a bit of an anxiety and/or panic disorder with the sensory defensiveness.
I don’t know the answer to that but many things would be enter with the influence of anxiety…. ☺
Well, I haven’t got a single word of advice on that. I am relieved to know that even if my son were verbal and could explain why he doesn’t like a food, it wouldn’t mean I could persuade him to eat it! Keep up the good work emotionally. At the end of the day, kids make their own choices. When you are committed to doing what’s best for him, I’m sure he will finally want to do what is best for himself.
Thanks. Sensory issues are so hard to overcome. Emmett is one of those kids what struggles daily. The most I can get out of him is that it doesn’t taste right, and he’s verbal (although not always so)….
How does your son do with food? Emmett was nonverbal for a good chunk of his life and I remember how challenging that was. He’s very verbal now but still can’t explain why he doesn’t like something or how he’s feeling. He struggles with expressive language still.
Thanks for your thoughts… Have a great weekend… ☺
Will he drink milk? If I can’t get anything else into my ASD son (who is also a terrible eater) I give him milk with sustagen powder. Not sure if you have sustagen in the US but it’s basically a chocolate powder with vitamins and minerals…
In the States, we have things like Carnation instant breakfast, SlimFast, Boost, and ovaltene.. I butchered the spelling on the last one but these are all powers one mixes with milk. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t.
I’ve found that it depends on his current demeanor. If he’s stressed out, he’s less likely to try something. If he’s in a good mood, he might be a bit more adventurous.. Sensory issues suck and Emmett has a great many of those…
Have you ever thought about making your own pizza? You can buy the Boboli ready made crusts and then he could put the cheese and pepperoni on and know it was to his liking. You might even be able to sneak in a few vegetables here and there if you get creative so that he’s not living on pizza alone.
We’ve tried that and it doesn’t work. It’s a great idea though.
I have a question and can’t edit my other post- what does he eat when he stays with Lizze’s or your parents? And does he eat the breakfast that the school offers?
Simply put, everyone has the same issues and no, he doesn’t eat the school anything. He usually eats before he goes.
Will he drink milk? If I can’t get anything else into my ASD son (who is also a terrible eater) I give him milk with sustagen powder. Not sure if you have sustagen in the US but it’s basically a chocolate powder with vitamins and minerals…
In the States, we have things like Carnation instant breakfast, SlimFast, Boost, and ovaltene.. I butchered the spelling on the last one but these are all powers one mixes with milk. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t.
I’ve found that it depends on his current demeanor. If he’s stressed out, he’s less likely to try something. If he’s in a good mood, he might be a bit more adventurous.. Sensory issues suck and Emmett has a great many of those…
Well, I haven’t got a single word of advice on that. I am relieved to know that even if my son were verbal and could explain why he doesn’t like a food, it wouldn’t mean I could persuade him to eat it! Keep up the good work emotionally. At the end of the day, kids make their own choices. When you are committed to doing what’s best for him, I’m sure he will finally want to do what is best for himself.
Thanks. Sensory issues are so hard to overcome. Emmett is one of those kids what struggles daily. The most I can get out of him is that it doesn’t taste right, and he’s verbal (although not always so)….
How does your son do with food? Emmett was nonverbal for a good chunk of his life and I remember how challenging that was. He’s very verbal now but still can’t explain why he doesn’t like something or how he’s feeling. He struggles with expressive language still.
Thanks for your thoughts… Have a great weekend… ☺
I wonder if he could have eaten that piece if he hadn’t panicked. Seems like a bit of an anxiety and/or panic disorder with the sensory defensiveness.
I don’t know the answer to that but many things would be enter with the influence of anxiety…. ☺
I have a question and can’t edit my other post- what does he eat when he stays with Lizze’s or your parents? And does he eat the breakfast that the school offers?
Simply put, everyone has the same issues and no, he doesn’t eat the school anything. He usually eats before he goes.
Have you ever thought about making your own pizza? You can buy the Boboli ready made crusts and then he could put the cheese and pepperoni on and know it was to his liking. You might even be able to sneak in a few vegetables here and there if you get creative so that he’s not living on pizza alone.
We’ve tried that and it doesn’t work. It’s a great idea though.