Expert: Trey McGowan - 10/30/2007

Question
My grandson is 19 months old, and was just diagnosed with autism.  My daughter is stressed out.  He is refusing to eat food he liked (chicken pieces), etc.  All he wants are pretzels and veggie puffs.  She is at wit's end.  Can you HELP?  Where can she go for assistance? She is on a waiting list for invention in her community, so I thought I would go online to try to find her help and suggestions as to what she can do to help him try foods.  Anything!!!!

Answer
Hello, Joan!

Sorry for the delay on getting this question answered; I pulled this one from the pool just today.

While I hate to be the bearer of bad news, food pickiness is not just an autistic problem; children from all walks of life will hit a specific age where they suddenly tend to get very picky about their food. It may just be (and here's those dreaded words) just a phase that he is going through. Try and provide a lot of different things to at least taste, and see if he can't settle in to a different 'taste approval'.

http://psychologytoday.com/rss/pto-20030902-000003.html
Here's an article that I found that may offer some clues about food tastes and the psychology behind it. It may only be an interesting read, or it may give you some ideas to try.

http://www.parenthood.com/articles.html?article_id=3045
Here's one for parents on how to keep picky eating from being an issue, as well as a link to a site that will help reassure him whether the picky eating is *too* picky or not.

Now, there is the possibility that this won't work, and/or that this genuinely *is* an issue with your grandson's autism. Autistics, after all, are notorious about their food pickiness at times. This can be caused by a combination of sensory issues.

Also, see if you can figure out why he's not liking things. At this age, it might be more difficult, but at least see if you can identify the issue. Is it the flavor? Then try things that taste different. Maybe he's not liking the texture as he chews? That would explain the veggie puffs, as they sort of 'melt away'. See if he sucks the pretzels soft, or if he's munching them down. If he's crunching them, have your daughter try her son on foods with a similar texture to pretzels and veggie puffs. Crunchy breads, baked crispy and/or flaky things, maybe even crisp vegetables. It's also possible that larger chunks of things are gagging him. See if maybe soups and soft foods will go down better. Also, see if she can't get food into pieces that can be picked up and eaten easily a little at a time.

http://www.invertedsphere.com/raventones/autism/pickyfood.html
An autistic talks about his issues with food, and how to deal with autistic picky eaters. There's some good suggestions in here!

http://community.livejournal.com/autism_spectrum/5803.html
An article in the Livejournal community for autism that gives some very good suggestions, as well as hopefully makes your daughter realize she is *very* much not alone in this!

Hopefully those hints will get some food into your grandson. And hopefully your daughter will be able to rest a little easier, even if she has to possibly work a little harder at some meals!

Trey