Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?

Replies

By Silver lining

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Mon 7 Jul 2008 21:59

That's a tough one Lynne. My heart goes out to you.
Our lad (29 now) has SLD and when he gets a 'bee in his bonnet' it takes so much patience, hours and hours to stop and let things slowly enter his thoughts and until he has quietened down, it's useless trying to point anything out. He also has a communication problem. and his understanding is difficult in both ways, for him and for us, easily misunderstood.
Trying to point out that he has got something in a 'muddle' is not easy but he has at long last, realised that he does get muddled and now understands when we point this out that he has not fully understood something. 'Muddle' is the key word we use when things go upside down in his thinking, understanding....it took a long time for him to get the key word but it really helps now.
One thing which helps, as well, sometimes, is saying something along the lines of...'That's not adult behaviour' The one thing he really wants to be is adult. He is not a child, even though he has childish thoughts etc. Would it help at all to suggest that as an adult he needs to eat better....or ....'This is an adult meal'... Only adults can eat it ... etc. ????? I remember when he was 20 he really wanted to be treated as an adult even more. Short sentances without lots of long explanation and time to let him think about what has been said in between.
Tries the patience of a Saint....
Sorry not to be more helpful....If I think of anything else I will drop you a note.
All the best, keep smiling
Silver

By fenlander

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Mon 7 Jul 2008 22:31

What is it on the food labels that stops him eating the food??

By Lynne D

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Mon 7 Jul 2008 22:42

Thanks silver, your son sounds like mine, very severe communication difficulties, cannot speak properly and uses makaton, and understanding is even less!! But he want to be a "big boy" and a "tented" which we think is trendy
fenlander, fat content!! but he dosnt understand the labels, so for instance on saturday, he picked up some frozen veg at supermarket, and he looked at label, i said ooo that looks good jonathan shall we have it, he said.... no fat, i said it isnt he pointed to fat content - and it was 0.5% - now he has even stopped drinking his bottles of water as they also are 0.5% he dosnt understand numbers, but he thinks they have to have NO number at all. I am fuming as it is one thing teaching him how to read labels, but something totally different him actually UNDERSTANDING what is written!

By EL

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Tue 8 Jul 2008 08:25

From what i know about Autism, Autist's like the truth and justice, i saw a programme called the truth about food, basically a professor investigated food label claims, i was shocked at just how many lies companies tell and how much inncorrect information food labels carry, none can be trusted or taken for fact, the only way you can ensure you eat what you are supposed too is to do what you are doing, a healthy eating plan where you cook from fresh, also the word diet is always mistaken, would it be an idea to show your son the true meaning of the word DIET in the dictionary? also how not eating the propper food groups affect his organs and the damage that is being done and how you can help him put it right? my son went to see a dietition as he gained a lot of weight by comfort eating and binge eating, what useless rubbish! we learned more from the programme "you are what you eat" which has invaluable information that you can look up on the net. Good luck with it all hope you let us know how you two get on

By EL

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Tue 8 Jul 2008 08:34

LynneD, does your son know his body HAS to have a certain amout of fat intake for his body to function? you know him better than anybody so is there some way you can make him understand? i dont like lying to my Adam so allthough he is not good at all with numbers or %'s he is slowly learning about good and bad fats and the amount the body needs DAILY! im sorry i dont know what makaton is or how you can use it to read labels!

By fenlander

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Tue 8 Jul 2008 12:24

Hi Lynne
I was about to suggest the same - trying helping him to add up to a good amount of fat!
I have 2 Autistic sons aged 16 & 20 - the youngest sounds very much like your son. If I try to show him the meaning of words in the dictionary and he doesn't like it or can't cope with it his response is "change the dictionary!" which you have to laugh at because it seems to me that this is what Autism is about - working to totally different rules and understanding than most of society!
Up until he was 9 he would only eat food which came in Heinz tins - bit limited. Then we started trying to cut out additives and he discovered the "Organic" label and would eat anything "Organic" which opened up his choices drastically. Now he eats anything but also tends to be overweight.
Does your son cope with eating unlabelled food? Some of the labels have a traffic light system of good and bad levels - might he find that easier?
Good luck - they don't half challenge us but you will find a way eventually am sure.

By Lynne D

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Tue 8 Jul 2008 14:30

El, no he dosnt understand we need a certain amount of fat to stay healthy, i have tried to explain and it wont sink in, he just sits gauking at me like i just landed from mars!! Makaton is a very basic form of sign language - it dosnt help to read. His understanding levels are extremly basic, and things are either black or white, for instance, there is only two sorts of people...........alive or dead! if you alive he can see you, if you are dead - thats ok because he can visit you at holidays, but it dosnt matter if you are alive or dead, he can still talk to you. So in his life there is no such thing as good fat - bad fat, it is way above his understanding levels - fat is fat.........end of! He was doing fine on his "healthy eating" programme, till some clown mentioned the word i had dreaded ............diet!
Fenlander, lol, you are so right, autism means chuck the rule book out, i have always said, it is not for jonathan to come into our confusing world, but for us to go to his world, anyway just to say........ me and one of our carers have come up with a grand plan! One of jonathans pleasures is going to trafford centre in manchester, now of course like all autistic people............he loves routine, now what we normally do, is go to trafford centre, then go to the muffin bar, and have a muffin and a cappachino - then look round shops, last time we went it was a nightmare, he would only have bottle of water and a low fat sandwich. Now our plan is....go to muffin bar and IF he refuses point blank to have coffee and muffin - then we come straight home!! I know he will be devastated. Another one is, maybe going to Morcambe (another favorite place) if he wont eat a proper dinner........then we come straight home again, its going to be tough and it is going to cause ructions, Oh and by the way, going to work a plan for the food labels, with the red yellow green, thats a good one that i had not thought about. maybe that will work - fingers crossed
Lynne xx

By Katjay

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Tue 8 Jul 2008 16:16

Hi Lynne, can't believe he's 20! How about trying a slimming world book (will have a look if I've got one here to send you), show him all the free food section that he can eat lots of and then (as he's been such a good boy) show him the syns (treats) at the back where he could choose a few a day from - including muffins!

By EL

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Wed 9 Jul 2008 08:41

Katjay, good thinking batman!!!

By DawnB

Re: Any tips on getting autistic son to eat?
Wed 9 Jul 2008 14:03

Hi Lynne, I've just finished doing slimming world myself and I have a food optimising book from the group that you can have gladly have, which has all the free foods in it etc. If you can get in touch then I'll get it posted to you.