What will you Autism spectrum child eat?

[bookwormde]

My ds8 aspie is a vegetarian (his choice for both tactile and moral reasons), so much for chicken nuggets

American cheese
Grilled cheese (no crust)
Plain pizza (removes the cheese)
Bananas
Cheese raviolis with plain (Hunts) tomato sauce (no spaghetti sauce)
Spaghetti with the same sauce
Peanut butter sandwiches no crust (Skippy and don’t try to slip in another brand he will notice)
Pringles salt and vinegar potato chips
Herr’s sour cream and onion potato chips
Gold fish (crackers regular type)
Tasty cake butterscotch crumpets
Fresh corn on the cob (dry)
Ketchup (his primary vegetable in mass quantities)
McDonalds French fries (ends removed)
Other thin French fries (ends removed)
Vanilla ice cream (no bean specs)
Strawberry Yoplait creamy yogurt (not much lately)
Hamburger rolls only from fast food places
Mom’s homemade butter cookies (he likes to help)
Water
Gummy multivitamins

Yes you reminded me
silver dollar pankakes (dry)
cheese-its
small powdered dognuts(not so much lately)
pop tarts (cinnamon only, how could I have missed that one)
cinnamon toast (no crust)

I am sure that I have missed a few things, I will edit as I think of them.

He will sample (with a lot of encouragement) non-meat items but it is rare to add anything to the list (tasty cakes were last)

[1stluvispooh]

I love how you said French fries with the ends removed. Both my kids do that and only 1 is on the spectrum. We call them French fry butts :lmao:

[Disneylvr]

Dry cereal
pancakes
waffles
bacon
pepperoni (yes, plain pepperoni, she loves it!)
grilled cheese
chicken tenders/nuggets
pizza (cheese or pepperoni)
hot dogs (especially with ketchup)
salami, ham
applesauce
salty snacks like cheetos, pringles etc..
spaghetti
milk

Every once in awhile Madelyn will add something like fish, ravioli or something new to her diet only for it to be refused in a month or so. Madelyn has moderate classic autism.

[modomo]

Peanutbutter sandwich (no jelly)
Doritos
Doritos on his PB sandwich (go figure:confused3)
Hot rolls
Cresent Rolls
Fish Sticks
Chicken nuggets
HB Bun w/ketchup
French Fries-sometimes-Crispy not limp
chocolate cake
fruit roll up or fruit snack
brownie-chocolate
chocolate pudding

I know, I know really healthy, but that is about all he will even touch. He is a 10 year old Aspie.

[BeckyScott]

Oh I can beat this! :lmao:

Okay, so this is what happened. My son eats basically the "autism diet" (i.e. anything white or beige) but then we ran allergy testing on him.

And what came back?

gluten
all the dairy
egg
onion (as in ketchup and pizza sauce)
cocoa
apple

and a bunch of other junk he won't eat anyway, like celery, blueberries, etc.

Okay, so you take the Autism Diet and you get rid of the wheat and the dairy and the ketchup.

What you have left is corn, potato (Lay's Stax are our friend!), cereal, and anything Mommy can concoct using rice flour and rice milk. He's still eating All Beige, now it's just more expensive Beige!

[LuvsTinker]

My 8 yo. will eat

Pizza/ Pizza Rolls
Almost any kind of sandwich
Chicken nuggets
French Fries
Salad (yes,can you believe)
some Fruits
Most type of Chips

and his absolute favorite CHEEZ-ITS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will not eat cake or ice cream, but will eat popcicles.

[MelAnderson]

My 5 year old DS....

Pancakes
Waffles
Dry Cereal
Muffins (blueberry are his favorite)
Bacon!!
Hard boiled eggs
Hashbrowns
McDonald's French Fries
White Castle Chicken rings
Chocolate pudding
Apples
Grapes
Dried Cranberries
Hotdogs
Pepperoni
Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza
Chips
Juice
Crescent Rolls
Crescent Rolls with Lil Smokie rolled up
String Cheese
Gogurts
Ice Cream
....if only I could get him to eat a veggie!

[stenickar]

Boy my list is totally opposite of everyone else's. The only thing that Nicholas will not eat is mac & cheese(unless there are hot dogs in it) and regular/brown rice. Also he does not really care for lollipops:confused3 , loves all other candy. He will eat fried rice. Other than that he eats anything. Loves vegetables and fruit.
Kara would like to be a little fussier but I won't let her;). She had not had a variety of foods when she came to us at 9yo. She doesn't like textures like grapes or cherry tomatoes. If there is a tomato sliced in a sandwich she doesn't mind it. Otherwise she will eat anything, especially chocolate:thumbsup2 (like mom like daughter;) )
Both Kara and Nicholas came to us from backgrounds of neglect:sad1: . I'm sure that this has some influence on their not being particular about what they eat. I am grateful that they eat healthy.
I have worked with other kids on the spectrum that had restricted dietary intake. One child would only eat crunchy things, crackers, chips, pretzels and candy(of course)

[Luv Bunnies]

My son is 12 1/2 and has Asperger's. His diet is still fairly limited. I was hoping he would be eating more variety by now and, believe me, we have tried!

Here's what his typical day usually looks like:

Breakfast:

Dry Cereal (no milk in it)
Milk on the side (must have a straw)
multi vitamin

(on weekends or at restaurants, he will eat pancakes, french toast, waffles and bacon)

Lunch:

Peanut butter sandwich with no crust (and no jam or jelly)
Salty snack like Goldfish, Cheez-its or Pringles
Dannon yogurt smoothie
Sunny Delight

(at restaurants, he will eat chips & salsa or fries; sometimes chicken nuggets - but not chicken strips; we love restaurants that have a PB sandwich on the menu)

Dinner:

More dry cereal
english muffin
Milk with a straw

(he might have frozen waffles or pancakes for dinner too).

He loves most salty snacks, cookies and ice cream. Chocolate donuts are his favorite but we rarely get them. He also loves soft pretzels and popcorn (no popcorn right now - braces!).

That's pretty much it! The kid is very picky. He has an aversion to certain textures and getting him to try a new food is very stressful for him. We're going to keep working on it!

[Ms_Butterfly]

I'm an adult and I don't have Autism, but I have Sensory Processing Disorder in all seven of my senses, so I definitely identify with all of y'all's (except the person with the non-picky kids) children's diets. It just isn't possible to eat most things and hasn't been my whole life. It may not be the healthiest diet in the world (though I'm sure it isn't the least healthiest these days), but we survive. Maybe what I write will help some of you parents understand or help your children.

I'll work from the lists y'all have written and add anything else I can think of that hasn't been mentioned yet....

American cheese - Yes, in slices (meaning eating just plain slices) or melted in bread as a plain grilled cheese sandwich. I also like yellow cheddar (especially NY Extra Sharp) in slices/cubes or melted on pizza, pecorino romano grated on pasta, mozzarella on pizza or in cheese sticks or melted on pasta and bread, parmesan grated on pasta and bread, provolone in slices or melted on pizza and bread, ricotta in pasta or on pizza (definitely NOT in desserts!), and maybe another type of cheese or two. I definitely agree with those "power of cheese" ads, LOL! I eat some form of cheese practically every single day.

Grilled cheese (no crust) - Yes, without crust. I cannot eat bread crusts. I cannot have anything else in the grilled cheese sandwiches, either.

Plain pizza (removes the cheese) - I went through a phase as a kid where I removed the cheese from the pizza, too! (I know, weird considering how much I've always loved cheese!) Now I always eat it with cheese. But no toppings other than types of cheeses. I don't always eat the crusts, but sometimes I do. I like pan pizza better than thin pizza.

Bananas - I can eat them, but don't eat them very often. I'd have to really want one to eat it.

Cheese raviolis with plain (Hunts) tomato sauce (no spaghetti sauce) - If you mean just canned tomatoe sauce that you use to make sauce with, that is nasty to me. No can do. But I do love cheese ravioli with either meatless red sauce (I can't eat any meat or fish, by the way - not a "poor animals" issue, either) or Alfredo/other cheese sauce. (Alfredo is a new edition within the past several years.)

Spaghetti with the same sauce - There are several types of pasta I eat. Pasta is my main staple (pizza is the other one, which I eat a bit less of). My two favorites are cavatelli (in the freezer section) with butter (no sauce), which is what I eat most nights, and homemade (by a local store) fusilli with butter (no sauce). I also like ziti/penne/etc. with meatless sauce/marinara. I also enjoy mannicotti (ricotta only inside) and stuffed shells (ricotta only inside) with meatless/marinara sauce. I also like mac & cheese (original or white cheddar). I do not eat any baked pasta that is crusty and hard, as I cannot tolerate that texture. I always have tons of grated cheese on top of my pasta (except mac & cheese).

Peanut butter sandwiches no crust (Skippy and don’t try to slip in another brand he will notice) - Yes (never with jelly or crusts), only with smooth (not chunky) peanut butter and not with natural peanut butter (the kind with the oil on top). I love the Reese's brand of peanut butter. I also enjoy peanut butter in between two Ritz crackers. I don't like peanut oil, however.

Pringles salt and vinegar potato chips - No.

Herr’s sour cream and onion potato chips - Never heard of that brand, but I can eat sour cream & onion I think, as well as French Onion (is it similar?) Sun Chips. I can also eat regular potatoe chips (love those Ruffles!) and Lays BBQ flavour. Possibly another flavour or two that I'm forgetting - I don't eat chips that often right now (I'm not the one doing the shopping right now). I also LOVE Jax (cheese puffs), but not the skinny/bumpy textured Cheetos.

Gold fish (crackers regular type) - I like the regular cheddar ones, but the Extreme Pizza flavoured ones are my favorites.

Tasty cake butterscotch crumpets - No.

Fresh corn on the cob (dry) - No way, no type of corn.

Ketchup (his primary vegetable in mass quantities) - Only on some types of French fries (not McDonald's, but steak fries [the thick fries] and some places' skinny [regular] fries).

McDonalds French fries (ends removed) - Sort of. I haven't eaten them since I learned they're cooked in fish oil or something like that, as the thought disgusts me. I've never removed the ends of any fries unless the ends are burnt (dark brown) or soggy (I don't think anybody likes soggy fries!).

Other thin French fries (ends removed) - Yes, with the ends, and also steak fries, as I mentioned above.

Vanilla ice cream (no bean specs) - The bean specs are okay with me 'cause the natural vanilla bean tastes so good! I also like chocolate ice cream. I really like Cold Stone Creamery ice cream - my favorite Creation being the Peanut Butter Cup Perfection (chocolate ice cream, peanut butter, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and fudge mixed together) and my favorite milkshake being one I make up of cinnamon ice cream (or sweet cream ice cream and cinnamon spice mixed together if they don't have cinnamon ice cream) and graham cracker crusts (they mix the shakes VERY, VERY well - there are NO lumps or chunks!).

Strawberry Yoplait creamy yogurt (not much lately) - No strawberry anything (except maybe Jell-O), but Yoplait vanilla yogurt and banana yogurt (believe it or not, the low/non-fat kind WITH the chunks of bananas in it!! I usually never can mix textures like that!).

Hamburger rolls only from fast food places - I like plain bread, but I think hamburger rolls have seeds on them - I cannot eat seeds. (I also like garlic and cheese breads.)

Mom’s homemade butter cookies (he likes to help) - Not sure what these are.

Water - Yup! Chocolate milk, too. I used to like regular milk, but not anymore. I also like hot cocoa. (Uhm, okay, I like MANY chocolate things!!) I also like Hi-C Orange in the juice boxes only (I did try the ones in the plastic containers but it wasn't the same juice), Martinelli's apple juice (100% pure apple juice), and maybe one or two other things. This doesn't apply to your kids, but I also love red wine (especially merlot), flavoured beer (like Smirnoff Mandarin Orange), and some mixed drinks (my favorite being a rum runner).

Gummy multivitamins - No. I do drink an Ensure High Protein (chocolate or vanilla) every day as my breakfast, though.

silver dollar pankakes (dry) - I can eat plain pancakes dry or with faux maple syrup (can't stand the pure maple syrup), but I prefer Belgian waffles either dry (finger food eaten like a sandwich instead of cut up) or with faux maple syrup (I fill up each hole and then use a knife and fork to eat it). I also LOVE baked apple pancakes (a deep dish baked apple thing with a wonderful glaze on top). Williams-Sonoma's Cinnamon Apple (or is it Apple Cinnamon?) pancake mix (as waffles) is yummy, too. That's a brand new edition, as the mix was a Christmas gift for a family member.

cheese-its - Love those.

Dry cereal - Only Honey Nut Cheerios (which I haven't had in forever) has to be dry. I like half & half cream in my regular Cheerios and my Rice Krispies. (I also love Rice Krispie treats! And, speaking of marshmallows, I love making s'mores over a campfire!)

bacon - No. I can't eat any meat or fish.

pepperoni (yes, plain pepperoni, she loves it!) - No; see above.

chicken tenders/nuggets - No; see above.

hot dogs (especially with ketchup) - No; see above.

salami, ham - No; see above.

applesauce - No, as I cannot tolerate that texture. It will make me gag.

milk - Only chocolate milk. Chocolate soy milk isn't too bad, either.

Doritos - I love the Spiciest Cheddar (or whatever it is called) flavour best, but will also eat the original cheddar kind.

Doritos on his PB sandwich (go figure) - Never! Cannot mix textures with most things.

Hot rolls - Some breads should be hot and some should be room temperature (none should ever be cold!). I eat plain bread, cheese bread, garlic bread/breadsticks, etc. Nothing with chunks inside or seeds and other hard things on top. I like the banana bread from the recipe my mother and I both use, too. (Actually, I make it better than she does 'cause I use a different cooking oil - hers is too dry and I always choke on it. Mine is just right.)

Cresent Rolls - Yes, those are delish!

Fish Sticks - No; nothing meat or fish.

chocolate cake - For sure!! ;) But cannot eat cakes that have most fillings (i.e. fruit filling) and such.

fruit roll up or fruit snack - Never could eat the roll-ups, but as a kid I ate certain flavour(s) of the thick fruit snacks (I think the grape ones that were shaped like a bunch of grapes).

brownie-chocolate - Chocolate definitely. I'm not the biggest brownie fan, but I will eat it. There is a FUDGEY brownie mix out there that is fabulous, though!

chocolate pudding - Yes, as well as the chocolate/vanilla mix Jell-O brand puddings in the pudding cups. My favorite is Jell-O brand Cookies & Cream pudding that you make at home (most of the Oreos in them are mixed small enough that they aren't chunky - they are also very much so softened by the Jell-O).

Pizza/ Pizza Rolls - I've never tried pizza rolls; I don't think they were around when I was a kid. See way above for pizza.

Almost any kind of sandwich - No. Only grilled cheese and when I was a kid I ate peanut butter sandwiches (no jelly).

Salad (yes,can you believe) - No, as that's yet another texture I cannot tolerate and gag at.

some Fruits - I can eat apples, pears, and bananas.

Muffins (blueberry are his favorite) - Only apple cinnamon muffins. Used to like corn muffins (only the kind without chunks of corn in them), but not anymore.

Hard boiled eggs - No, no kind of egg. (Eggs as an ingredient in cookies, cakes, and everything like that is fine. Just cannot eat eggs as a food - texture, look, etc.)

Hashbrowns - No.

Grapes - I can sometimes eat only the seedless green ones, but haven't in a long time. I can sometimes eat raisins.

Dried Cranberries - No.

String Cheese - No. Not canned fake cheese, either.

Gogurts - Have never tried one, but they look/sound nasty from what I saw on TV!

french toast - No. I'll occassionally eat regular toast. I also like lightly toasted plain bagels with butter (no cream cheese, jelly, peanut butter, or any other toppings). I'll also eat plain bagels and cinnamon swirl bagels plain and whole (not cut into halves).

Dannon yogurt smoothie - I think I tried a drink like that once and I couldn't drink it.

Sunny-D - I do like the original kind (in the plastic bottles, not the kid pouches).

chips & salsa - Yes, but not if the fresh salsa has lots of greenery in it (which is why I like hot Tostitos salsa best). I cannot eat anything that has been garnished with greenery (basil, parsley, etc.) - sometimes restaurants don't get it, which is quite annoying, especially when you did take out and are already home! I also like Tostitos chips with cheddar cheese sauce (the plain kind, not the kind with jalapeno pepper chunks in it).

english muffin - No.

Cookies - Some, like chocolate chip, Oreo, Keebler with chocolate in the middle or drizzled on top, etc. I also love Immaculate Bakery's Sweet Georgia Brownies (chocolate cookies with I think dark, milk, and white chocolate chips in it) and Apple Oatmeal Crunch (I think it is called - oatmeal cookies with bits of apple in them).

Chocolate donuts - Yes, I like Dunkin' Donuts' chocolate glazed and chocolate frosted doughnuts (unless they have sprinkles on them - cannot eat them with sprinkles on them) as well as Entenmann's Devil's Food Crumb doughnuts (and Devil's Food Crumb cakes). I also like Dunkin' Donuts' honey dew and strawberry frosted doughnuts (okay, that makes two strawberry-flavoured things I can eat, then).

soft pretzels - Oh yum! Did you know you can buy them frozen in the grocery store and microwave them one at a time for a snack? I have to have the pretzel salt on mine and love it with mustard on top, too.

popcorn - Yes, buttered or cheddar microwave popcorn (or buttered with one of a few flavour packets I tried once) as well as Smartfood white cheddar popcorn.



Additional things I can think of:

Pop-Tarts - Only the frosted cinnamon ones.

Peanuts - Salted.

Granola and similar type bars - Some, like South Beach Living's peanut butter bars. I also used to eat Kudos peanut butter bars and Quaker Oats' chocolate chip bars (just don't buy those anymore).

Chocolate bars - Some chocolate things were mentioned, but I want to say that white chocolate is my favorite. I also like milk and dark chocolate, of course. ReeseStix are my favorite candy bar (though I can't find them anymore) with White Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups my second favorite. I also enjoy Kit-Kats, M&Ms, Crunch, and some other bars. Nothing with coconut in it, though.



That's all I can think of, though there may be a few more items I can eat that I'm not thinking of. Note that I do not eat all of those on a regular basis. And, of course, different foods shouldn't touch and there needs to be a new, clean utensil for each different food. (I have OCD, too. Amoung several other things.)

I know you want to know if I have added foods over the years and, if so, how many. I have added a few. Not nearly as many as a normal child who is just a picky eater and becomes a normal adult, of course, but a few.

No, it isn't something you grow out of when it is neurological (like SPD and Autism), but there may be small steps taken to include a few more foods (or types of same foods, like different cheeses or types of pasta). Yes, there may be foods you stop eating along the way.

Yes, you get the comments and stares and non-understanding ppl, but you get used to it. You have to do what you have to do in order to eat something in most places you go (sometimes avoiding eating there is what has to be done and you'll eat when you get home or get to a snack machine or something, but an adult ordering a grilled cheese sandwich or off the kids' menu at a restaurant is something you have to get used to and not care what others think in their closed minds). Sometimes it is okay to say you are allergic to an ingredient (like green garnishes) so they are (hopefully) sure to not use it, as the waitstaff and cooks don't understand that you cannot physically eat something.

If you have any other questions, including if I eat a particular thing or not (may have forgotten to put it on the list above), I'd be happy to answer them for you! :)

[BeckyScott]

I do have a story to share!

At school, the kids are studying where food comes from. It's sort of a strange concept but anyway this week they studied pigs. Now, I personally am pretty squeamish about this sort of thing, I eat meat but don't like to think much about where it comes from, if you KWIM. It's only been in the past 5 years or so that I'll buy a whole chicken, I always preferred them to be pre-cut in tidy packages. It's a good thing I wasn't born 200 years ago.

But for some reason the school decided to teach 8-year-olds where their bacon really comes from. :eek: A valuable lesson, but one which would have sent me to vegetarian-land if I was a child.

Yesterday I got a call from the school, checking in with me because of all of Justin's allergies, at snack time they were going to sample bacon, sausage, and ham, is he okay to eat a little taste of those? And I said yes, except he won't eat sausage or ham anyway, good luck with that.

Somehow, some way, the teacher sat down with him and convinced him to take a taste of the sausage and ham, both. I have no idea how she did that, she said she sat with him and they did their bites at the same time and it was just a little one, but still he did it. He didn't want more but he did give them a taste.

This is possibly the first "new food" he's tried in years, other than me sneaky switching out allergens.

Now if I could only get some vegetables to cross his lips. :rolleyes1

[Schmeck]

Reading these lists makes me think this is what all kids would like to eat - mostly over-processed junkfood. What did autistic spectrum kids eat 60 years ago?

I'm also wondering if this has anything to do with autism, or some other issue - my daughter has a gag reflex to meat, and her food preferences are pretty much the same as the ones listed here. She does not have any signs of autism, but she does have birth defects and was almost born at 25 weeks.

[modomo]

First of all, I just want to say thank you Ms. Butterfly for your input. It is reassuring to know that my "picky eater" will make it to adulthood. ;) His nutrition has been a big concern for us. The "He will eat when he gets hungry" saying gets old. NO HE WON'T! But is so interesting to read how someone else views their food besides our son.

Secondly, I have a question. Our son ate everything we gave him until he was about 13 mos. old, and that is when he stopped eating. Some of his favorite baby foods were squash, carrots, sweet potatoes (loved the orange and yellows), and then NOTHING! Did you all have similar experiences?

[Schmeck]

I'm trying to remember when my daughter's gag reflex came into play... I know she had it when she was 2 - my mom tried to force her to eat one bite of turkey at thanksgiving and she threw up at the table... My mom never tried to force her again :rolleyes1

I think she started getting really picky around a year old - she was eating lots of plain tofu then, but stopped eating chicken and red meat. She was off of baby food at 10-11 months, and off of formula at 9 months, as she had a reflux issue for formula too. But she's not on the spectrum, just has that gag reflex to certain textures.

[KirstenB]

Although our 2 1/2 year old has a high-functioning ASD diagnosis, it's things like this that make me question it at times. Zoe will eat anything!! For instance, for dinner last night, I made soft tacos. She had black beans and tomatoes on the side and ate the whole thing!! If you give her a choice between say, raisins or Doritos, she'll likely choose the raisins. I think because she has "seeking" tendencies rather than avoiding, she'll eat anything. Everything I've read about kids with autism suggests a huge majority of them have very picky eating habits. We took her off of regular milk, and substituted it with soy milk.

We noticed she seemed much more alert without the regular milk. But that was our choice, not hers.

Her sister, who's 10 is our picky eater. Becky Scott summed up our older dd's eating habits perfectly, when she said the autism diet. Meaning, Andi craves bland beige foods. She has no autistic traits, but definitely has sensory avoiding issues. Food textures creep her out, she only eats certain brands of foods, etc.

[mechurchlady]

Since I became active in this board I am finally getting some answers to my quirks. I definitely am a sensory seeker but at times somethings am an avoider.

My grandmother would give me Pepsi and potato chips. I can eat tons of chips but why. They are not that flavourful, do not give me pleasure like cheese enchiladas and usually I sick from eating to many. Yep an empty bag, wait crumbs, now empty bag is next to me. It is a sensory thing with the crunching. I finally realized I love the crunching.

I was now thinking about another weird combo which was ketchup, onions and mayo. Againt the sweet ketchup and the crunchy onion.

Peanut butter and onion and sometimes bread is again the crunching.

On a dare as a kid I put ketchup on ice cream and as a kid ketchuped everything. Still love heinz ketchup. As a kid it was my veggie along with peas and corn. Still is the only veggies i eat outside of beans, rice and potatos.

[ecki]

He's still eating All Beige, now it's just more expensive Beige!
:laughing: :laughing:

Yep, Kayla, too!

Waffles (made from Pamela's gluten free baking mix, expensive but cheaper than buying Van's GF Frozen waffles)
Bananas
Tinkyada Rice Pasta (rotini ONLY, no other shapes)
Banana muffins (made from Pamela's baking mix)
Ener-G pretzels
Pamela's Mini Bites Chocolate Chip cookies
Smart Beat Cheddar slices (not cheese, no idea WHAT they are exactly, LOL)
Fresh fast food only chicken nuggets with breading removed (but she won't eat plain chicken :confused3 )

We do go off the GF for pizza, though!

[bookwormde]

My son was a little picky as an infant and toddler but his restriction really started kicking in at about 4.

Picky eating is like most Autism spectrum sensory issues, some have it and some don’t, although it seems to be one of the highest percentage issues.

bookwormde

[robin09]

DD( has aspergers.. here are are meals...
Mornings usually grits with butter and salt, and lox put on the top.. glass of juice...


lunch...tunafish, no bread, carrots with ranch dressing..

home from school... chips with dip

dinner... steamed broccoli, bite or 2 of pork chops or a hot dog. Glass of tea.

Doesn't like meats, will eat shrimp and lobster. string beans are also ok. Will not eat eggs. We make alot of smoothies, as she loves to drink. IF given her choice she will drink and not eat... has been this way since birth....

[breezy1077]

I'm trying to remember when my daughter's gag reflex came into play... I know she had it when she was 2 - my mom tried to force her to eat one bite of turkey at thanksgiving and she threw up at the table... My mom never tried to force her again :rolleyes1

I think she started getting really picky around a year old - she was eating lots of plain tofu then, but stopped eating chicken and red meat. She was off of baby food at 10-11 months, and off of formula at 9 months, as she had a reflux issue for formula too. But she's not on the spectrum, just has that gag reflex to certain textures.

Sensory issues affect autistic kids, but also premies. She may not be autistic but have the same sensory integration dysfunction, which is one very big reason some autistic kids have gag reflex.

Big question - does anyone else feel bad by keep feeding their kids this stuff. My DS eats the same stuff (pdd-nos by the way) and I feel terrible that he's not eating better food (until I try something new and have to deal with him almost throwing up again that is). By the way, everyone sounds like their kids eat pretty much the same items (an awful lot of PB&J - funny huh?), I'm going to start calling that the autism diet;) .

I've thought about him going on the real autism casein/gluten free diet, but, like the one mom hinted at, what would he eat? :rolleyes:

[ecki]

Big question - does anyone else feel bad by keep feeding their kids this stuff.

I sometimes wonder what they think of Kayla's lunches at school. It's ALWAYS the same -- a cup of Tinkyada noodles, a slice of Smart Beat "cheese", and a 1/2 cup of applesauce (oh, I forgot to put that on the list of foods she eats, LOL). And a waffle for snack. Every single day. But it made it easy for them to use the picture cards at lunch since they only had to print out 3 PECS symbols, LOL.

[Schmeck]

I sometimes wonder what they think of Kayla's lunches at school. It's ALWAYS the same -- a cup of Tinkyada noodles, a slice of Smart Beat "cheese", and a 1/2 cup of applesauce (oh, I forgot to put that on the list of foods she eats, LOL). And a waffle for snack. Every single day. But it made it easy for them to use the picture cards at lunch since they only had to print out 3 PECS symbols, LOL.

You've got a carb, a protein and a fruit - it's a very balanced meal! I worried about my daughter's lack of protein, and we were able to wean her off of a lot of the junk food/over-processed stuff, but she still takes the same stuff to school every day too - a plain roll, a juice box, a pudding, and a granola bar - but I try to get multigrain/lowfat/no sugar added stuff. She used to bring an apple and/or a veggie, but now she has top and bottom braces and so we have a new list of 'can't haves'... But her hair and nails are growing strong and crazy-fast, so she's getting the protein in some how.

[breezy1077]

I sometimes wonder what they think of Kayla's lunches at school. It's ALWAYS the same -- a cup of Tinkyada noodles, a slice of Smart Beat "cheese", and a 1/2 cup of applesauce (oh, I forgot to put that on the list of foods she eats, LOL). And a waffle for snack. Every single day. But it made it easy for them to use the picture cards at lunch since they only had to print out 3 PECS symbols, LOL.

I can relate. DS has same lunch everyday. Every other meal I can mix it up a little bit, but it's PB&j for lunch - every lunch:)

[CindyD]

My Aspie 12 y/o has eaten the same restricted foods every day since he turned 2 y/o. The list is extremely limited and he refuses to try anything new. I once offered him $100 to try a bite of apple and was turned down flat.

Breakfast---Smores poptarts (every day!!) Will not try any other flavor.

Lunch---3 slices of wheat bread...chocolate milk...goldfish crackers and a
Little Debbie snack cake. ( I tried to put the peanut butter on the
bread but the only way he will eat the peanut butter is on warm
toast out of the toaster!)

Supper- peanut butter on wheat toast...crust removed...chocolate milk...
and more crackers.

He will eat oreos..chips ahoy cookies...sometimes popcorn, somtimes chips or
cheez-its and McDonalds fries (must be McDs)

ALL brands must remain the same and he can taste the difference when you try to switch a brand without his knowledge.

He actually had to stay overnight in the hospital when he had his tonsils removed because he would not eat any of the items they said he could have (jello--ice cream--popcicles)..They said he could not go home until he ate and I said "Then be prepared to raise him":confused3

He literally eats nothing else....It drives ne nuts!!!

His therapist said that while it takes maybe 13-15 times to place a new food in front of a child before the child takes a bite, it may take up to 100 times before a spectrum child will try it.

Thank goodness he takes a multi vitamin...

[jamesmommy]

Well, DS5 is on the GF/CF diet, and is also egg-free due to allergies. We have attempted ice cream a couple of times since going GF/CF, and it does make a difference in his behavior, so for the time being, milk is a no go. We won't try to add gluten for quite a while since they say it can take up to 6 months for it's effects to leave the body.

He will eat pretty much any fruit, watermelon is probably his fave, with apples and oranges close. He will also do all berries, bananas, pears. He loves applesauce. Vegetables are a little harder, although he will still eat quite a few: corn, asparagus, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, sometimes celery & cucumber, broccoli stems

He eats peanut butter crackers (enerG crackers & skippy peanut butter)
chicken nuggets and fish nuggets (breaded with gf/cf/ef mixtures)
chicken baked or grilled
pork chops, breaded preferably
hot dogs
ham (this is our newest food)
French fries (usually microwave ore idas or Chick Fil A)
GF/CF/EF pretzels
Fritos
Potato Chips (lays or lays stax)
Usually drinks juice, orange or juicy juice, although we are trying to add more water.
He has never been a huge sweet eater, and the diet took away his reeses cups and m&ms (and ice cream), so now the only sweets he normally eats are lollys and gummy things.

We have always tried to make him try anything we were eating, but it wasn't until the diet change that he really began to expand his tastes some.

[Ms_Butterfly]

First of all, I just want to say thank you Ms. Butterfly for your input. It is reassuring to know that my "picky eater" will make it to adulthood. ;)

You sound just like my mom did when I was a kid! ;)

Secondly, I have a question. Our son ate everything we gave him until he was about 13 mos. old, and that is when he stopped eating. Some of his favorite baby foods were squash, carrots, sweet potatoes (loved the orange and yellows), and then NOTHING! Did you all have similar experiences?

I don't know about this age for myself, but I do know my parents told me that when I was in a highchair, I'd always separate my foods out so they wouldn't touch and all that. I don't know what age that was or if it was all ages (after twelve months, which is when my parents got me).

[Ms_Butterfly]

Big question - does anyone else feel bad by keep feeding their kids this stuff. My DS eats the same stuff (pdd-nos by the way) and I feel terrible that he's not eating better food (until I try something new and have to deal with him almost throwing up again that is).

I think being a good parent requires you to feel bad (in a healthy way). I'm an adult and my mom still wishes I could eat more things, although I don't particularly care for the way she usually goes about it (the not-so-sly, "I wish you would eat [name a food]," and, "You shouldn't be eating [food I chose to eat] - you should be eating [food I can't eat]," and all that :sad2: ). (She doesn't understand much about any of my disabilities, no matter how many times I've explained things to her.)

Even though your son eats like he does, he is most likely just fine with it. And, of course, it doesn't make him ill, so that's good, too. Forcing food on a kid with sensory issues doesn't work. (It doesn't usually work for normal picky kids who don't have sensory issues with food, either!) If there is any way to expand the diet of a person with sensory processing issues, personal choice is the way, IMO. Nothing good ever came of my parents' "eat the soup 'til I can see the bottom of the bowl" or "eat three pieces and then you can be done" stuff.

The ways I've expanded my diet to include a few more things is that I chose to do it. It usually was branching out a centimeter by trying something very close to what I can already eat (i.e. a different type of cheese, a different flavour of potatoe chip, a different brand of pizza, a different shape of pasta, etc.). Sure, sometimes I tried something that I can't eat and ended up gagging or feeling ill, but that's the risk one has to take. Children prob'ly don't have the maturity yet to be able to do the whole choice = risk or gain scenerio, but either way will be okay in the end thing. So, if you have to wait a long time for the choice to happen, that's okay, IMO. It doesn't mean you can't oh-so-kindly offer the choice, just so long as it isn't the only choice ("eat it or go hungry") and you don't make a huge deal if the kid refuses. One day, he might just try it. But even if he doesn't, you still love him and that's what really matters. :)

[debbi801]

Let's see, my 6 yr old DS eats...

waffles (homemade only) w/powdered sugar
mini pancakes (Aunt Jemima or home made) w/powdered sugar
french toast sticks (Eggo brand only) w/powdered sugar
bacon
Fruit Loops

slices of yellow american cheese

smooth peanut butter sandwiches (any brand peanut butter, but must be on potato bread, won't eat any other bread)

PB&J sandwiches, must be Welch's strawberry jelly in the squeezeable bottle and potato bread. (Once, they were out of welch's and we bought Smuckers--bad move)

Hebrew National hot dogs
Chicken nuggets (only from mcdonalds)
french fries (mcdonalds or Wendy's)
spaghetti (with no sauce)
Macaroni and cheese
Cheese pizza (but only from one local pizzaria)

ketchup

Dole Mandarine oranges
sliced and peeled red delicious apples (with or without peanut butter)
red grapes
strawberries

Strawberry go-gurt (in the tube)
Oreo cookies
Soft Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies (no other brand)
brownies

Doritos brand nacho flavored chips
water
minute made lemonade juiceboxes

chocolate or vanilla ice cream (as long as there are no bean flecks)

Also, he was like this from the time he started eating at 6 months of age. The pediatrician kept re-assuring us that eventually he'd eat. LOL

[BeckyScott]

I sometimes wonder what they think of Kayla's lunches at school. It's ALWAYS the same -- a cup of Tinkyada noodles, a slice of Smart Beat "cheese", and a 1/2 cup of applesauce (oh, I forgot to put that on the list of foods she eats, LOL). And a waffle for snack. Every single day.

Justin eats the same lunch every day too. One hot dog (plain & cold) :eek: , some Lays Stax, and pear juice (doctored up). Every now and then I'll send something else, but the Stax are mandatory.

Now that we've got definate answers on his allergies, I'm going to start "sneaking" more. Today I steamed up a bunch of cauliflower and pureed it and put it in little ziplocs in the freezer. I am thinking in the chicken nuggets? :rolleyes1

jamesmommy- Rice Dream makes ice cream. It's expensive (of course) but not bad. Tastes kinda like sorbet.

I was surprised how readily Justin went to gfcf. Of course, I just found substitutes for everything I could. But no way do those rice cheese slices taste the same as Kraft! He just eats them and doesn't say anything. I think it really made a difference when we did get allergy testing done- and fortunately he did come back high on gluten and dairy- he's a smart kid and he could read the chart and he understood what it meant. And he didn't really question it. It's come in very handy that he has strong reading skills.

My own personal problem is that it's so expensive! Like last night he wanted some ice cream and I didn't give him much, put strawberry syrup on it, well he was too busy playing with it and most of it melted. So it went in the sink. And all I'm thinking is probably we just dumped 75 cents down the sink! It doesn't sound like much. But $6 for a loaf of bread, when a slice of it comes back in the lunch box all smashed and not eaten, gosh :sad2: it can turn a Mommy into a Crazy Mommy pretty quickly.

[mechurchlady]

BeckyScott:

The waste of money gets to me with my mother. She wants waffles and now most of a box sits untouched. I just had to throw out this week a pound of bacon "it is old and spoiled". She thought the ground beef was old so there went $4. Mom is so hard to please is it is not what she likes so I know that guilty feeling of seeing food go to waste. Mom is not a super senstive person so I can get away with changing food on her and brands usually. I used to eat and eat everything left over in the fridge out of guilt because I could not stand seeing $3 worth of cookies in the trash then $3 worth of candy in the trash.

I hate wasting money but what am I to do.

[BeckyScott]

I used to eat and eat everything left over in the fridge out of guilt because I could not stand seeing $3 worth of cookies in the trash then $3 worth of candy in the trash.

Yeah, uh, I found Puffins cereal for real cheap and bought like 6 boxes and neither kid will eat them. :mad: So guess who's been eating Puffins for breakfast every day?

[lucigo]

My ASD son is almost 5. He is very specific in his foods, all I can say is these are the foods that he considers safe. He won't try anything new or that looks different. He used to only have 7 so we have managed to add a couple!

1. Chicken Nuggets (schwan, Tyson, McD's, Disney (whew!), wendy's, BK, wal-mart)
2. French Fries
3. Tater Tots
4. Subway Turkey and ham with lettuce, tomato, black olives. (I know it makes no sense but ONLY subway, no sandwich at home or from anywhere else).
5. Red jello cups with fruit
6. Bananas
7. Chips (plain, ranch, or cheetos)
8. Sunbelt choc chip granola bars (only)
9. Chocolate cake
10. Choc chip cookies
11. Corn and peas picked out of a schwan bowtie pasta mix (only)
12. Popcorn
13. M&Ms, sometimes fruit snacks, sometimes some chocolate candy, skittles.

[Gabrielsbigtrip]

My ASD 6 year old son eats:


Breakstone Blueberry Cottage Cheese Doubles (his staple food). My sister is bringing us some when we go in May since she lives close to DW.

Blueberry Muffins

Plain Cheerios ( sometimes with milk )

Goldfish

Crackers (Saltines squares or Club)

Mini Pancakes and sometime regular size ones

Sometimes Waffles

Soft Pretzels with no salt

Vanilla Pudding

Vanilla Ice Cream

Gummy Multivitamin

Fruit snacks (but not the orange, yellow or green)

Popcorn

Macaroni and Cheese from one restaurant near our house but only theirs. He did eat the Mac n Cheese at Coral Reef last year.

Potato Rolls (we call them Crabby Patties ~ It's a Spongebob thing)

He will eat the bread at Outback Steakhouse (he calls it Brown Bread)

Sometimes a piece of cheese

Bananas

Red Grapes

Sometimes Apples

Only drinks apple juice or white grape juice ( I water it down ) Sometimes I can force a milk or plain water.

When he was born - I breast fed then I bought everything organic and went to Whole Foods Markets for all of his foods. Eventually he narrowed down to the above. He has never eaten meat. He used to eat veggies as a baby but no more.

He has a very sensitive taste and smell and horrible gag reflex. I made him try a sugar snap pea and he bit off the most miniscule piece and he almost vomited!

He is tall and he is strong and is not lacking energy;) ~ I don't care about not eating meat but I wish he would eat some vegetables. I am thinking of experimenting with muffins and trying to trick some into him.

[ecki]

My own personal problem is that it's so expensive! Like last night he wanted some ice cream and I didn't give him much, put strawberry syrup on it, well he was too busy playing with it and most of it melted. So it went in the sink. And all I'm thinking is probably we just dumped 75 cents down the sink! It doesn't sound like much. But $6 for a loaf of bread, when a slice of it comes back in the lunch box all smashed and not eaten, gosh :sad2: it can turn a Mommy into a Crazy Mommy pretty quickly.


I hear ya there! I just put in my Amazon order -- 1 case of Tinkyada pasta, 1 case of Ener-G pretzels, 1 case of Pamela's Simple Bites Chocolate Chip Cookies. Total Price: $95! And I just ordered all that stuff 6 weeks ago! Plus every 8 weeks I have to order a case of Pamela's Baking mix, which is about $40. :scared1: :scared1: :scared1:

[Janet Hill]

My 10 year old only eats:
cantelope
watermelon
cucumbers
cheese pizza
bologna sandwich (no crust)
chicken nuggets (very particluar won't eat all nuggets)
pancakes, waffles (no syrup no butter)
bacon
ice cream
french fries (breaks off the ends don't know why)
steak (only if I fix it)
bread from Outback
whole milk only
flavored water
yogurt (only the neon trix stuff)
hot dog (no bun)
Fruit Loops (no milk)
applesauce (only Motts)
soft pretzels

The most annoying thing is that he sniffs everything before he'll eat it.

[ecki]

The most annoying thing is that he sniffs everything before he'll eat it.

Both of my kids have to touch their food--and drinks!--before eating. Kayla will pick up her food and roll it in her hands until she's satisfied. If she doesn't like the texture, it goes flying in the air!

My older daughter was a sniffer, too. Thankfully she outgrew that phase!

[BeckyScott]

One thing I'm still trying to figure out, though.

Okay, so I'm "assuming" you all have read all the stuff about gluten and casein and the opiate-whatever's and how the kid is getting their fix off of those foods.

So. When we took Justin gfcf I was expecting this big withdrawl thing. Which #1 didn't happen. But. Take chicken nuggets. He would sit and pick the crust off of them and eat just the crust. And I'm thinking hey, once we change out that batter, he won't be craving nugget crust, kwim? Or cheese sandwiches, he won't be able to get his fix from them anymore.

But it didn't happen. He still picks the coating off the chicken strips and leaves nekkid chicken on the plate. :eek: He will still put away cheese sandwich after cheese sandwich until I cannot stand to give him more (because of the cost!). I don't know if he isn't getting the opiate-fix and hasn't figured it out yet, hasn't connected it to the food, if that wasn't the problem in the first place.... what on earth is going on with that. It's like he still craves the gluten and casein, but he isn't getting them, but he *thinks* he is? Does that make sense?

[1stluvispooh]

Justin eats the same lunch every day too. One hot dog (plain & cold) :eek: , some Lays Stax, and pear juice (doctored up). Every now and then I'll send something else, but the Stax are mandatory.

Now that we've got definate answers on his allergies, I'm going to start "sneaking" more. Today I steamed up a bunch of cauliflower and pureed it and put it in little ziplocs in the freezer. I am thinking in the chicken nuggets? :rolleyes1

jamesmommy- Rice Dream makes ice cream. It's expensive (of course) but not bad. Tastes kinda like sorbet.

I was surprised how readily Justin went to gfcf. Of course, I just found substitutes for everything I could. But no way do those rice cheese slices taste the same as Kraft! He just eats them and doesn't say anything. I think it really made a difference when we did get allergy testing done- and fortunately he did come back high on gluten and dairy- he's a smart kid and he could read the chart and he understood what it meant. And he didn't really question it. It's come in very handy that he has strong reading skills.

My own personal problem is that it's so expensive! Like last night he wanted some ice cream and I didn't give him much, put strawberry syrup on it, well he was too busy playing with it and most of it melted. So it went in the sink. And all I'm thinking is probably we just dumped 75 cents down the sink! It doesn't sound like much. But $6 for a loaf of bread, when a slice of it comes back in the lunch box all smashed and not eaten, gosh :sad2: it can turn a Mommy into a Crazy Mommy pretty quickly.

My DD went Gf/CF almost 4 years ago. She is now just CF and I can tell when she has had some kind of milk product. Unfortunately she will buy her lunch at school even if I pack it for her when it is something she shouldn't have, like cheese pizza. I agree it's expensive I did find soy dream ice cream at Trader Joe's for like $3 so I will take the trip there to get it for her. Unfortunately she doesn't get it often because she binges on it so in an afternoon it's gone and yes sometimes several bowls get put down the sink because she really is full but she must have a bowl of it out at her place at the table :confused3 Bottom line is she acts so much better on the diet that it's worth the cost no matter what it is.

[mechurchlady]

Yeah, uh, I found Puffins cereal for real cheap and bought like 6 boxes and neither kid will eat them. :mad: So guess who's been eating Puffins for breakfast every day?

Hand over those Puffins, grrr. I miss cereal and the nearest store is about 15 to 30 minutes driving and I just dont like going that far for an expensive box of cereal.

[BeckyScott]

Oh I'll find something to do with them. ;) I think they're pretty good.

I had the same thing happen with the Erewhon rice krispies. The kids loved them, so you know I got on Amazon and ordered 8 boxes. They no sooner arrived than everyone decided they wanted something else.

But I did figure out a trick with the rice krispies-- I puree them in the food processor along with some rice flour and use that to coat the chicken nuggets. Yum yum! Crunchy goodness. That's about the only thing I use them for, but we must have chicken nuggets at least twice a week, so slowly but surely I am using up all that cereal.

I am thinking those Puffins would rock smashed up on ice cream?

[nov02mom]

Jacob's a 5 year old Aspie. We have lots of food "rules". LOL 2 solid years of therapy and we've made lots of eating progress.

He eats:
french fries (his feeding therapist laughingly says ALL her ASD patients eat them)
ketchup(only on fries)
yogurt- 1 brand, 2 flavors
applesauce- only in the small containers
Gerber Stage 3 Spaghetti
Beech Nut Stage 3 Chicken and Stars
most of the Gerber fruits/veggies in the little plastic containers
a couple Gerber Stage 2 things
Gerber puffs
Gerber biter biscuits
goldfish- only the multi color ones
Honey Nut Cheerios
and our newest accomplishment- those hideous orange crackers and peanut butter

Everything must be room temp or pretty darn close.

[nuts4wdw]

My 7 y.o. little guy eats quite a few things but will not try anything new, and when forced to he will gag and has vomited. His list:
Cold cereal (coco puffs, honey nut cheerios, life, lucky charms)
Milk
Doritos nacho flavored
pasta (plain no flavor whatsoever)
string cheese
no vegetables
potatoes (plain no gravy, or sour cream)
tacos (meat and cheese only)
pizza (cheese)
chicken nuggets
fries (only if super hungry)
popcorn
saltines
peanut butter
white bread
goldfish crackers (only the orange ones)
ramen noodle (without flavor:scared1: )
no fish
hot dogs (you guessed it, plain)
ice cream (plain vanilla or plain chocolate)
That's about it, as you can see pretty bland diet, and absolutely awful to make a family meal that we can all eat. We have tacos and hot dogs alot!

[BeckyScott]

This also reminds me of a co-worker of mine, many years ago, back when I had a life. :lmao:

He was perfectly normal (okay, he was wierd but nothing medically going on) and he would eat nothing but plain hamburgers and biscuits. That was it. Period. That's all he'd eaten for years. In retrospect, some major malnutrition going on.

Another co-worker of ours had him over one evening, got him really intoxicated, then fed him spaghetti. Just to see if she could get him to eat it. Which he did, but then didn't remember doing it. :eek:

Just thought I'd throw that in. ;) Ah, the good old days.

[mechurchlady]

I eat nothing for breakfast unless mom has bacon. For over a week it has been cinnamon raisin bread toasted, block of cheese, peanut butter and coffee. We ran out of that bread so it is now sourdough toast.

BeckyScott you are tempting me, lol. Naw mom the coffee is not different, well a little extra cinnamon.:rolleyes1 So tempting to get her drunk so she will eat something else for a change especially with 20 pounds of bacon in the freezer.

[Ali]

7 year old DS - PDD-NOS and SID
Stopped eating "new" foods when he was 11 months old. Never made it to stage 3 baby foods, he gagged, screamed, cried, and threw up. Kind of like now when we try to introduce new foods, scream, cry, vomit, try the food, vomit, cry, scream, try it again, gag, cry, etc.

Breakfast - 2 cartons Trix rasberry rainbow yogurt
1 juicy juice grape juice 4 oz box

Lunch - 2 cartons trix rasberry rainbox yogurt
1 juicy juice grape juice 4 oz box
1 package of regular non-broken pringles (broken ones don't get eaten)
On occasional days he adds 2 slices american cheese (land-o lakes only bought at BJ's in bulk package) torn into pieces but has to be correct temperature or wil not be eater because it is too chewy.

Snack at Daycare - 2 cartons trix rasberry rainbox yogurt
1 juicy juice grape juice 4 oz box

1 red or purple or blue lollypop that isn't bumpy

Dinner - Bet you can guess..... 2 cartons of rasberry rainbow yogurt
grape juicy juice or 1 % milk
1 package of regular pringles

other foods he occasionaly eats - Buttercrisp round crackers that are not "too brown", Animal crackers in the small Barnum's box, Honeymaid graham sticks (not BEES)


EVERYTHING is brand specific and he knows if there is anything added in. Everything has to look just right or will not get eaten. Food therapy tried and he stopped eating and drinking for 5 days so I quit - I coudn't take it. His pediatrician has said for 4 years in a row to leave him alone because he is healthy and gaining both height and weight. This year he referred me to a psychiatrist to get anti-anxiety meds to see if he can try new things if he isn't so afraid.


This is all he eats. So the rest of you who complain really need to re-evaluate because at least you are getting chicken nuggets, pizza, and other normal kids foods into your kids. Mine is an outcast at all meals and people think he's weird. We have to bring food with us everywhere and we pray that hurricanes go away fast because we have to have a 3 week stock of yogurt at home at all times during the summer because he won't eat anythign else, no matter how hungry he gets.


And yes, I really do wish we had stock in Trix yogurt bcause we have to buy so much of it. And my assistants at work are sick of the strawberry banana flavor that we have to donate or trash because he only eats the rasberry rainbox in the 6 pack.

[KirstenB]

Ali you have my virtual hugs:hug:. My "normal" kiddo is picky, but not as picky as your son. But I fully understand hunger strikes, etc. She's already small for her age, so I do cater to the beige foods she'll eat. As I posted, ironically, our ASD daughter will eat anything; I guess that makes her a seeker, :lmao:

[stampin_fool]

Jacob (10 ASD) has actually increased his diet a little this past year but his staples are:

mac-a-cheese (would eat this every day if we let him)
waffles/pancakes (added syrup this year)
turkey bacon
yogurt
cheese sandwiches/grilled cheese
french fries
chicken nuggets (I have been able to substitute soy/veggie nuggets and because of the amount of ketchup, which is a food group in itself, he doesnt seem to notice)
pop tarts (smores and chocolate chip only)
cold cereal (lucky charms, fruit loops)
broccoli,
cauliflower
Toast, ketchup and butter (his favorite snack YUCK!!!)
pizza, no sauce won't eat the crust or the spots where the cheese bubbles up and gets brown
perogies (but won't touch mashed potatoes even though I have explained that is what is inside the perogie)
chocolate donuts,
plain chocolate and sour candy

And this past week, all on his own he decided to try a turkey and cheese sub with mustard and a cheeseburger. I almost fainted. He didn't really like the burger but we have now added turkey sandwiches to our lunch menu for school. Thank goodness since he would only bring waffles and turkey bacon or a cheese sandwich this year. (A big step up from first grade where he would only eat ketchup sandwiches.)

Oh and milk is a staple in his diet as well, about 7 gallons a week. It is the only thing he will drink. Tried soy milk but wouldn't touch it.

Ronda

[FFRSPEC]

Reading these lists makes me think this is what all kids would like to eat - mostly over-processed junkfood. What did autistic spectrum kids eat 60 years ago?

I'm also wondering if this has anything to do with autism, or some other issue - my daughter has a gag reflex to meat, and her food preferences are pretty much the same as the ones listed here. She does not have any signs of autism, but she does have birth defects and was almost born at 25
weeks.
They did not know they were autistic then and they were most likley in institutions. But did you not see rainman?? 6 fish sticks eaten with tooth picks.

[FFRSPEC]

Hey Stampin fool you picture is a red X!

[mechurchlady]

My online friend has a son who was premie as in more than a month early. Sweet kid but then as we talked his food quirks came out. I asked someone for their opinions and gave their response to him.

The usual 2 to 4 hour fight over him eating worried me since dad is young and single. Today he had a chili dog with the works. Gone fast. He plans to get the boy checked out as before the kid was a perfectionist who gagged on food. Dad thought the kid was rebellious or what ever and never realized that he is not alone. That there is a difference for a hissy fit and a gagging meltdown. I showed him this thread and I thank you for helping ease his mnd. Proper training and some work on Dad's part will take care of a lot of his problems even though they are minor.

Thank you for helping my friend.

[Schmeck]

They did not know they were autistic then and they were most likley in institutions. But did you not see rainman?? 6 fish sticks eaten with tooth picks.

It's not just autistic children with these eating issues mentioned here, though. I doubt the higher functioning children on the spectrum would have been institutionalized, either. They would have just been thought of as 'stupid', 'queer', 'odd', or some other derogatory name, and teased and tormented, ignored or abused, regarded as the "Village Idiot" :sad2: :sad1: :mad:

But without all this highly overprocessed food, what would they have found to fixate on to eat, I wonder? A certain type of bread, hardtack, who knows? What is it about the overprocessing that makes it so attractive to the spectrum? Is it the high level of sodium? The lack of a true 'food' taste? Other additives that are affecting synapses in their brains so that it gives them pleasure? The high level of fat? Maybe that will be my next career - finding the link between the foods and the spectrum/reflex, etc. It would combine my degree in biology and my years of working with special needs children. hmmmm....

[bookwormde]

It is not that “spectrum” children are fixated on a food item, though as with anything new, it has heightened interest for a period of time before it becomes “boring”. Since varied eating is to a significant extent a “social thing” it does not hold the same allure to spectrum children as is does to the rest of the population. When you combine this with heightened or reduced sensory sensitivities, this make the adoption of “new” foods challenging. “If I am (reasonably) healthy with what I am eating then why would I bother to try other food items?”.

Thank goodness for vitamins.

There are some works about past “geniuses” that had aspergers characteristics and the anecdotal comments of their eating patterns seem to reflect the current situation (if in a more “home cooked” way).


bookwormde

[Schmeck]

bookwormde, could you please show studies where eating a varied diet is a 'social thing'? That's very interesting.

[bookwormde]

As with most spectrum issues there is very little clinical data. But if you talk to Aspeis parents of aspies you will get the same general sense of this issue. One very social area is that “pier pressure” for the most part has very little impact on our children (if they even notice it). So that “social tool” is mostly useless. Apies by nature are not followers so seeing someone else trying something generally does not elicit the same social response as neurotypicals (wanting to fit in). That is just a couple of areas of impact but gives you the general idea.

Also the whole idea of a meal being a social situation is many times something that has to be “learned” as an intellectual social skill since there is no real logical reason behind eating as a group other than the social ones.

As a side, it took my NT wife a long time to accept that eating did not have the same social connotations for me, since the giving and receiving food and meals were major social event for her an her family.

bookworm

[BeckyScott]

I understand what you're saying.

For example, at the kids school. They have a specific rule that for the first 10 minutes of lunch there is no talking, the kids have to eat. Otherwise they talk for the whole time and don't eat anything. Lunch is a social activity, getting nutrition is secondary.

If you look at lunch as a functional activity, I guess more of a scientific perspective?, it's purpose is to fill your nutritional needs, then the social aspect wouldn't play in.

Not to imply that spectrum kids don't enjoy their food (try taking a popsicle away from my son!). But I've noticed he'd prefer to eat in front of the tv rather than sit at the table and talk to anyone.

And yes, thank goodness for vitamins.

[LauraAnn630]

My son will eat nothing. This is all he eats and Im serious and very concerned.
He has a sensory problem.

nuggets
fries
green beans
yogurt
1 kind of choco chip cookie only
teriaki chicken - mall chinese
cheese pizza - sometime
ho hos


grape water
Dr. pepper

THAT is IT! NO candy, cakes or other snacks.

We have tried and tried to get this child to eat! He is over weight by 15 pounds.

[bookwormde]

LauraAnn630

Sounds like your child is reasonably healthy. Just stay with a good multivitamin and try to increase his activity level a little. Unless your pediatrician thinks he is malnourished then what is the real problem, other than the inconvenience of having to organize the availability of these items.

I wish I could get more if the non-starch items that your son eats into mine.

I would spend my efforts in dealing with the sensory issues in general and not worry about the variety of his diet.

bookwormde

[mechurchlady]

I can see some social issues dealing with food. There is the parental pressures on a kid where it has to make parents happy. The sitting at a dinner table with others while being with in certain set rules like no throwing food, burping or having to eat with utensils.

My dad demanded I eat carrots in the stew. I was happy with some french bread topped with gravy and potatos while the meat had some ketchup. I just cannot eat carrots unless I have to like in slaw, salad and soups. I avoid them when possible. Not a taste issue, just do not do carrot.

Sometimes in a restaurant I will not order something because if I do not like it then I will have nothing to eat. It is utter nonsense but I come close to meltdown for some reason. I love food but rarely try stuff outside what I know. Elk is meat so that is ok. As a kid the only veggies were peas and corn but it took a long time to get me to eat one of those. I cope by saying it is a veggie or meat, something I am familiar with.

I ate fries after this post and realized that the ends really are differnt texture and just a bit different flavour. I tried ketchup last night and despite loving it cannot understand why I love it so much. I do love tomatos and have eaten them whole like fruit.:confused3 Why the love of ketchup?

[NJMomma]

DS9, has improved greatly over the years. He eats:

cereal, pancakes, pop tarts (wild berry if you please), he LOVES bagels with cream cheese, toast with cream cheese or butter, pizza, hamburgers (NOT cheeseburgers but yet he loves cheese), spaghettios, chicken noodle soup, steak, chicken, spaghetti, turkey meatballs, pork chops, bacon, roasted potatoes, fish, corn, green beans, broccoli, not so much into fruits though...he really eats lots now, though it was not always the case. He has certain texture issues - NO combined foods - like stews or casseroles, ziti, doesn't go for sandwiches. HATES creamy, mushy - no applesauce, mashed taters, guacamole. Does not like deserts - no chocolate or ice cream :confused3

DH tried to get him to eat a sloppy joe sandwich just last week. It didn't go well. There was well, a "reversal of fortune" soon after taking the first bite!

[modomo]

As with most spectrum issues there is very little clinical data. But if you talk to Aspeis parents of aspies you will get the same general sense of this issue. One very social area is that “pier pressure” for the most part has very little impact on our children (if they even notice it). So that “social tool” is mostly useless. Apies by nature are not followers so seeing someone else trying something generally does not elicit the same social response as neurotypicals (wanting to fit in). That is just a couple of areas of impact but gives you the general idea.

Also the whole idea of a meal being a social situation is many times something that has to be “learned” as an intellectual social skill since there is no real logical reason behind eating as a group other than the social ones.

As a side, it took my NT wife a long time to accept that eating did not have the same social connotations for me, since the giving and receiving food and meals were major social event for her an her family.

bookworm

This is so true for my son. Peer pressure has no effect on our son. So the fact he has taken a PB sandwich to school every day since kindergarden, and his classmates think that is strange, makes no difference to him. He hates lunch time because the cafeteria is loud, and he doesn't derive any joy from eating. If we didn't constantly tell him to come and eat, or sit down it's dinnertime, he would never come into the kitchen. Perhaps, for a drink, but that is occassional. It is a chore to keep him fed and hydrated!

[CorysMomma]

Hi, my 10 year old Autistic (nonverbal) son only eats peanut butter "sandwiches" made with Corn Thins versus bread (gluten free) and Cool Ranch Doritos. He will eat Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Poptarts (name brand only) but I don't give them to him as I am trying to keep him casein & gluten free as much as possible. He used to eat dry Cheerios (again name brand only) but they have gluten too :confused3 . Most of his best nutrients actually come from his drinks. I give him Silk Vanilla Soymilk with fiber and V8 VFusion juices. That stuff is liquid GOLD for kids like ours!! Each 8oz contains 1 serving of veggies and 1 serving of fruit! Just be sure not to buy the "LIGHT" kind. It is only 50% juice versus 100% for the same price as the regular. So if calories are a concern get the full strength and water it down. (Thats what I do)

As far as candy goes Cory will only eat plain M&Ms (and they have to be the regular colors) and lollipops occasionally.

Cory also suffers from oral-facial weakness so he has a hard time eating food, especially things that aren't crunchy. He can't feel them in his mouth well enough to chew them without gagging. (Imagine trying to eat after going to the dentist and getting novacaine)

His doctor assures us that even though his diet is very limited he has really good muscle tone and is actually healthier than most kids his age! Who'da thunk huh?:crazy:

[bookwormde]

As long as you can get a good multivitamin in him I would not worry too much. If you get blood drawn for any reason it is good to get a panel that will check for any nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin D can be an issue if milk (or products with vitamin D) is not part of the diet and your child does not spend a significant amount of time outside. I wish I could get mine to drink some of the V8 drinks but he cannot handle the texture, our vegetable is ketchup.

bookwormde