Children with autism have feeding issues so parents have to struggle during mealtime. Children’s nutrition and mealtime behavior are common issues for parents. As a result, children with autism have less nutritional variety in their diets than those other children because they are overly selective in what they will and will not eat.
I asked some parents of their success stories during mealtime with their children and how they cope up with feeding issues. Here are some tips
1. Know physical problems.
Some children with autism may have medical issues that make eating unpleasant like for instance dental cavities, difficulty with chewing, acid reflux, stomach pain, etc. Make sure that your child is clear up these physical issues with your doctor.
2. Comfort during mealtime
Autistic kid may experience great anxiety during mealtime. This is because of their sensory aversions and fear of unfamiliar foods. Anxiety make worse when you force your child to eat and make mealtime stress. You should spend a few minutes and help your child relax before mealtime by spending 5 minutes practicing deep breathing together. Also, you can provide enjoying activities like blowing bubbles together or playing together with favorite games.
3. Gradual exposure to food
Several children with autism refuse to eat new food because they have strong reactions to a food’s appearance.
4. Sit at the table during mealtime
Make a routine of eating together because it helps your child learn through imitation. Your child may likely put a new food in his or her mouth after seeing you do so. It is very important to understand their fears and a gradual exposure to new food can be helpful to eventually learn to control and get rid of these fears.
5. Know Child’s posture.
Some children with autism have weakness in the core muscle of the stomach and back and they do not quite sense where their bodies are in space. Poor posture creates discomfort while setting at the meal table. Providing support so that your child focus more on eating than keeping his/her body on the chair
6. Focus on food not on child’s behavior
Divert attention from the negative behavior with a conversation about food. Try ignoring challenging behavior at the table.
7. Make your child explore, play and get messy with food
Make your child interact with food through his/her senses. Create cookies using cookie cutter with different shapes.. Engage your child in food learning through play.