Picky Eaters Part 1
Picky eaters abound in the world of autism. Some people will only eat peanut butter on bread, no jelly. Others eat one brand of macaroni and cheese for breakfast, lunch, supper, and snack. One of my young friends with autism doesn’t like the taste of ice cream, but he will eat dog poop. Picky eaters run the gamut of shunning or craving spicy foods, bland foods, cold foods, hot foods, healthy foods and exceptionally unhealthy foods.
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Although nearly every person is a picky eater to some extent, some individuals with autism have very odd food preferences or only eat one or two foods. Period. This may be due to a person’s inflexibility and resistance to change, their ritualistic insistence on sameness in daily routine, and/or their extremely finely tuned senses of taste, sight, and smell. Gastrointestinal problems also tend to plague individuals with autism, so digestive tracts can be sensitive to many foods. On top of all that, some individuals with autism have specific food allergies that merit serious consideration.
But, unless food preferences are significantly compromising the health or well-being of an individual with autism, it may be counterproductive to force a change. Although we may think it a bit odd for a person to eat the very same foods at lunch every day, we need to consider and accept some of the characteristics typical of autism. Under some circumstances, it can be counterproductive for us to try to force a change in unconventional or peculiar eating habits.
Some teachers and family members make a big issue about a person’s odd food preferences every single day, telling the person how strange their food choices are and nagging them to change. Nagging has little effect on changing the behavior in any person. In respect to the person and their diagnosis of autism, it is not appropriate for us to talk about or place daily emphasis on our friend’s quirky menu. It would be much the same as nagging a person with a significant hearing impairment about their inability to listen.
On the other hand, some eating habits are unhealthy in the short-term or they cause major issues in their daily lives. We will address those issues in Part 2 of this podcast about Picky Eaters
Meanwhile, we hope you will share your experiences with picky eaters, so please feel free to join the conversation. Just click on the comments button or send an e-mail to talk@FAQautism.com.
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: 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. Feel free to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. Send email to talk@FAQautism.com And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
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