FAQautism

In some cases, the peculiar food preferences can compromise health or well-being. What are some strategies for helping picky eaters with autism change harmful habits?

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1. MONITOR DIET. If a youngster with autism has significant allergies to wheat products or dairy products, we simply do not offer those foods for meals or snacks. If a person with autism is diagnosed with Type I Diabetes, we carefully monitor carbohydrates and do not make forbidden food available.

2. LIMIT ACCESSIBILITY. One of my teenage friends with autism would sneak into the kitchen every night and eat an entire carton of ice cream. Her dad was irritated that she ate all his ice cream every day, then he realized that it was HIS responsibility to stop buying ice cream and to keep health-endangering temptation out of the house.

3. SNEAK IN NUTRITION. Sometimes it takes very creative thinking, but we can usually figure out a way to insert a bit of nutrition in the daily diet of picky eaters. For example, we can blend healthy veggies into a very fine puree and stir a bit into catsup, spaghetti sauce, or pizza sauce. If a person loves ice cream, but refuses to eat fresh fruits, we can sneak in nutrition by making a healthy milkshake. Simply blend low-fat, no-sugar-added ice cream and frozen, no-sugar-added strawberries, peaches, mangos, and blueberries. Stir in a splash of vanilla and serve this yummy treat for an afternoon snack.

3. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Sometimes our fears are based on false assumptions. For example, five of my friends with autism, children and adults, are rather obsessed with eating peanut butter. We might presume that a diet composed exclusively of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is very detrimental to health. Although there are some issues with fats and sugars, pb&j sandwiches actually have some redeeming nutritional features – offering some protein, fiber, potassium, iron, and vitamins. A future podcast will provide some ideas for increasing the healthy aspects of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

So, unless a person has allergies or serious sensitivities to a food or unless a daily diet specifically compromises their health and well-being, we might want to learn to live with food preferences or obsessions that seem outlandish or offbeat. We can relax when we remember that every person is a picky eater to some extent. Peculiar food preferences 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.

We hope you will 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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