Pick Your Own
“For the first time, my son voluntarily ate some fresh fruit when his grandmother gave him some fresh peaches in a bowl with a little bit of sugar sprinkled on top,” said a parent said the parent of a 7-year-old diagnosed with autism. “When we get home from visiting his grandparents, we want to encourage his eating fresh fruit. Any ideas?”
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SPECIFIC STRATEGY Fresh fruits and vegetables impact our long-term and short-term health, so your plan to encourage your son’s new-found love for fresh peaches is right on track. One fool-proof method for helping him focus on fresh produce is to plan a visit to “pick-your-own” orchards, berry patches, and gardens. Summer and fall are perfect times for a drive into the country to pick peaches, apples, strawberries, squash, okra, green beans, watermelons, tomatoes, pecans, and other garden favorites. People of all ages and levels of ability can enjoy the outing. In most cases, even the most picky eaters are eager to take a taste of fresh produce they plucked out of the garden with their own hands.
Since your son has shown interest in fresh peaches prepared with Granny’s magic touch, you probably want to serve fresh-picked fruits to him in the same way. You might even ask his grandmother if you can borrow one of her bowls temporarily so he associates this snack with that bowl of peaches he enjoyed at Granny’s house.
You can show your son how you add “his” fresh-picked peaches to a peach cobbler or peach salsa or fruit salad. If he sees some of his own peaches or his other hand-picked fruits and vegetables being added to foods, he might be more willing to take a bite. Even a little bit of fresh fruit and vegetable every day is an improvement over zero intake.
So, load everyone up and head to the orchard or the berry patch or country garden and enjoy!
NOTE TO LISTENERS AND READERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. You can click on a button to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solutions. Check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. www.FAQautism.com
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