Dilemma re Aspie son's fixation on fizzy drinks

[NotUrsula]

Another point to think about: a couple of years ago we tried banning something that DS was fixated on. His solution was to shoplift it every chance he got b/c he knew that we would not allow him to purchase it.

At the times when he shoplifted when he was alone, he had money on him and could have purchased it behind our backs, but did not because we had told him that he was not allowed to buy them -- STEALING them was a viable loophole in his literal mind.

Be very careful with banning something that is physically small; he could resort to stealing if the craving is uncontrollable.

 

[RumpleMom]

I don't know if this is in anyway helpful, but I just saw that Kool-aid makes a fizzy drink tablet. I thought this might help for convenience.

 

[cinderellamom123]

I would tell him before you go that Disney does not have the item. I am not sure how old your son is, but there will be plenty to see and do and maybe all the distractions can get his mind of his obsession. It may be a good time to break the habbit.

 

[tabithakp]

my son has to have rootbeer, what we do is fill the glass mostly with ice and let him have it!

 

[hobbit]

I would tell him before you go that Disney does not have the item. I am not sure how old your son is, but there will be plenty to see and do and maybe all the distractions can get his mind of his obsession. It may be a good time to break the habbit.

That's great then. I agree; I'm going to break the habit and obsession. I know my son best and this is the best thing to do. In fact I've already started to drop hints that he won't be getting a daily Fanta on holiday this time, and he didn't protest too much.

 

[Kat77]

I would tell him before you go that Disney does not have the item. I am not sure how old your son is, but there will be plenty to see and do and maybe all the distractions can get his mind of his obsession. It may be a good time to break the habbit.

That's great then. I agree; I'm going to break the habit and obsession. I know my son best and this is the best thing to do. In fact I've already started to drop hints that he won't be getting a daily Fanta on holiday this time, and he didn't protest too much.

The problem I see with this approach is Fanta's logo is going to be on kiosks, drink machines and menus- it's a safe bet to say he will spot it faster than you can hide it! We Americans love soda and will put vending machines darn near anywhere... some even have one in the garage right next to a ping pong table.
A better lie would be to say American sodas are contaminated (like the tap water in various foreign countries. LOL!) and drinking them will make him horribly sick. Blame aspertame!

 

[bookwormde]

Just remember that our guys are really smart and with there heightened sense of social justice do not understand the social acceptabilty of lying in many cases.

bookwormde

 

[Schmeck]

Learning to break free from a negative fixation is a very important part of life - even people diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome have to be able to do this, or they will have a very difficult time being able to function to their full potential in the real world. When parents feed into the fixation, and don't try to give the children the tools they need to be able to get out of that fixation cycle they are actually enabling their kids to be more disabled than they really are.

Explaining to a child that a fizzy drink is a choice for dessert, but not a main course for a meal, is a very reasonable standard. In the past I've given my kids coupons to use for their fixations. For example, during a school vacation, they may have gotten 20 coupons for watching a half hour of television or computer time. Those coupons were for the whole week, and they could decide if they wanted to use them all up right away or stretch them out over time.

Depending on the age of the OP's son, giving out coupons for the week or just for a day's worth of soda and letting the child decide when to have the drink will give that child the tools he needs to limit his obsession on high sugar, empty nutrition soda. It gives him the power to decide.

 

[Kat77]

Many NT's struggle with lying and do not condone it. Lying is lying, no matter what the reason. And yes, the truth usually gets me much farther with my Aspies, now they are old enough to reason with... but once upon a time I told my toddler son the wheelchair figure on the doors of the womens restroom was a actually little boy sitting on the potty and I am I still quite thrilled that lie worked out! Sometimes moms lie, it happens. As a mom, I can understand the importance of a plausible lie.

Personally, I would not fight this battle on vacation. I would use the soda for dinner dessert plan, and TRY to branch out using other orange options like orange soda floats (DS9's fave dessert!) and dole whips.

 

[Ctsplaysinrain]

like the tap water in various foreign countries. LOL!) and drinking them will make him horribly sick. Blame aspertame!


I would never try this one... I could imagine my aspie going up to EVERY person he saw with a soda and telling them in great detail about how that soda was going to make them horribly sick with maybe a chemical discussion of aspertame....

 

[Ctsplaysinrain]

I'm wondering why the Fanta thing is disturbing to you? How do you know he was not enjoying the Bali trip? have you tried to talk to him about it? You may be surprised and he may remember everything.. Or is there another reason? I know that my children's perserveration on certain topics can get rather tiring at times...but well.. I have learned it doesnt mean that they are not enjoying what they are doing. Everyone parents different but from my view point, this does not seem like a battle that should be fought at Disney. You may be coping with so much more :ie sensory that it may be a "comfort" to him actually and that is why he is craving it... Unless, you have an issue like the red and yellow dyes in it make his behavior much worse and more prone to meltdowns etc...

 

[Kat77]

like the tap water in various foreign countries. LOL!) and drinking them will make him horribly sick. Blame aspertame!


I would never try this one... I could imagine my aspie going up to EVERY person he saw with a soda and telling them in great detail about how that soda was going to make them horribly sick with maybe a chemical discussion of aspertame....

That sounds about right! My kids do not like talking to strangers but I can see that happening with kids that do!

 

[jenn-n-okla]

I would order club soda at every meal for him if it is just the fizzy feeling in his mouth that he is wanting. If it is the taste and you are worried about the sugar free chemicals then I am not sure what to do. I think those powders you can buy to pour into drinks are all sugar free.
I drink club soda with lime, lemon or orange juice squeezed into it. Great tasting! Have restaurant place the slice on the side of the cup so he thinks he is getting a big grown up drink.
There is an alternative drink out there called Izzy./ It is hard to find and I am pretty sure Disney doesn't have it.,but Starbucks does sell them and many wholesale places do too. It is fruit juice with carbonated water. The clementine flavor tastes EXACTLY like orange Fanta. There is many other flavors as well, green apple, pomegrante (taste like grape), grapefruit and I think lime.
You might try to find them for home as an alternative to the Fanta.

 

[disneydeb]

did ya ever think the kid just might have a stomachache or gas and is using the fizzy drink to burp or fart (sorry to be so graphic), ask him why he likes the fizzy drinks so much, is it the fizzy or the flavour? if its the flavor i would get him a sno-cone for dessert same flavor turns your tounge the same color, if its the fizzy i would get fizzy water and mix it with juice, basically the same think but you control what goes into it. that being said my dgs would only eat lollipops but sugar was not his friend, hes 6, with ppd-nos it even caused a few meltdowns being so hyped up on sugar, so NO was the answer from then on, only for special occasions and only sugar free and not as many as he wanted. his mother is strict when he acted up and whined he got sent to his room, even if he cried, mother was tough but dgs acts appropriate now and if not he gets sent to his room, we are not hitting people , and i wuld have given in where she does not and i tell ya she was right.

 

[hobbit]

Thank you for your advise, but we have already been talking to him that he's not getting any fizzy drinks because we (mum n dad) don't drink them anyway, and he has generally come to terms with it now.

If he had a stomach ache, he would tell us for sure. If we gave him only small amounts, he would just obsess more about it. Sugar doesn't affect his behaviour at all. We all love chocolate and desserts, and we dont' hold back, and look forward to eating plenty of icecream and other goodies when we're there .... next week!!!!

 

[disneydeb]

well heres sending pixie dust your way and have a truly magical time, let us know how it goes

 

[Skyler01]

My son is very small. I have seen him to be alone always in school or outside. But he is good in painting and creative in his ideas. Later I came to know that he has aspergers, than on my friends suggestion I have joined him to other school that is good to resolve this disorders.

 

[lorac4disney]

They do make Fanta Zero which is sugar and caffeine free (if the sugar is what you are concerned about). If it were me, I would order a case of it and have it arrive to your room and let him have as much of it as he wants. Submerging him in his obsession frees his mind to enjoy other activities.

I wholeheartedly believe you should pick your battles. You are on vacation. He's on vacation. Enjoy!

 

[Schmeck]

They do make Fanta Zero which is sugar and caffeine free (if the sugar is what you are concerned about). If it were me, I would order a case of it and have it arrive to your room and let him have as much of it as he wants. Submerging him in his obsession frees his mind to enjoy other activities.

I wholeheartedly believe you should pick your battles. You are on vacation. He's on vacation. Enjoy!

But what if he fixates so much that he refuses to go to the parks, because he wants fizzy drinks, and that's only in the room at the resort? The OP has stated that he will fixate, and not focus on the fun at hand.

 

[lorac4disney]

You can bring some into the parks with you in a shoulder bag or backpack. My DD has a thing about Dr. Pepper which you can not get inside the parks. Our solution is to bring Dr. Pepper with us along with bottled water (which is pricey in the parks) that way she at least has a choice. When she is really hot and thirsty, she chooses the water, but I let it be her choice. There can't be a battle if there is no one fighting on the other side. I agree that it may not be the healthiest option, but it is a compromise which makes her happy and therefore makes me less stressed.