Ensuring that your children are receiving the proper amount of nutrition from their food and that they have a good relationship with food is already very challenging. The situation is made more challenging when it comes to dealing with children on the autistic spectrum. Autistic children are notoriously picky eaters for a variety of reasons. Below are some steps a parent can take to deal with some of their autistic child’s food aversions.
- Rule out physical problems
Children with autism often experience physical problems that can make eating quite the uncomfortable experience. Just some of the common occurring problems autistic children face are difficulty chewing, dental cavities, and painful acid reflux. Make sure to have your child screened for any eating related issues. - Relax before meal times
Mealtimes can be the cause of great anxiety for autistic children. The anxiety can be caused by various underlying reasons like, sensory aversions or a fear of unfamiliar foods. Try to set five minutes aside to gather at the table and relax before food is served. - Gradually expose new foods
Unfamiliar foods can be truly fearful for some people with autism. The best way to handle this is to slowly expose the food in question to your child. Let them get familiar with an orange per se, by putting it in front of them and letting them play with it. Treat food much the way you would a dog that causes your child to be fearful. - Take food out of its container
One aspect of autism that can lead to picky eating is the habit of obsessing over things. Autistic children can easily develop a favorite brand that will make shopping for food exceedingly difficult. Avoid this by removing the food you buy from its brand packaging. Store the food in see through containers so that your child focuses on the food, not the brand.
