Dealing with diet concerns for a child with Aspergers.
Recently someone wrote to me with a regular worry about thier child that has Aspergers. Their child is 9 years old and, like many Aspergers sufferers will simply follow a very strict diet which they control. Their child was outright not wanting to eat any vegetables, Pasta or fruit and would only eat Cheese, bread, chicken, milk, hamburgers, eggs and mashed potatoes. Occasionally they'd eat crisps but this was a rarity and chocolate was a no go.
The parent’s priority was that their child had not been getting enough nutrients from the food they were eating and so they were concerned this could lead to further issues down the road which is a very valid concern.
So what exactly is the solution for a youngster with Aspergers who'll only eat selected foods?
Asperger’s eating habits often worry those near them, the Syndrome itself could cause unusual reactions to new foods because an alteration towards the routine that is essential to an Aspergers sufferer. They will normally outright refuse change on levels far beyond the foodstuff provided to them which may result in uncontrollable tantrums if not managed carefully. To a kid with Aspergers, things could taste too salty or bitter and they can frequently refuse food that ‘smells bad’ in their mind. One of the largest problems though can be the texture of the food which can create a gagging reflex to start working which can make the meals off limits. As regular readers will know, I don’t have problems with Aspergers, however flaky fish starts my gagging reflex so I can relate with an Aspergers sufferer about this. When i think about it, we all have experienced some food which may do that to us. And, like a child, any food which does this, we generally avoid.
The diet from the writers’ child isn’t as bad as it might've been, (I saw on television quite recently an Aspergers child who would eat only biscuits). Their child gets protein in the eggs, milk, cheese, chicken and hamburgers. They are getting fibre in the bread and hamburger buns. Other nutritional supplements can be found in the potatoes and crisps. So all in all the diet plan might be a lot worse… Actually their diet is certainly not far from a typical childs consumption of nutrients.
However, the diet can be made greater with fruits & veg. The things they could try is instead of buying pre-packaged, make them in your own home. When making burgers, you normally have to have a binder so you could liquefy vegetables in to the burger mix and they'll be none the wiser.
They can liquify some cauliflower to the mashed potatoes too?
Most significantly though, never give up trying new foods with an Aspergers Sufferer. Whilst most youngsters with Aspergers will refuse food after smelling, they might try some. If you are having something different to your child at breakfast time then offer them some of yours at each meal time. If you are able to enter into your child’s routine that they have a single mouthful of your food before starting theirs you might be in a position to discover other foods that they'll eat.
If your kid is suffering from Aspergers then remember that you shouldn't create a problem about what he does and eat. Should you, it's going to raise the Asperger’s eating problems. It is all about picking the battles you are able to win as nothing will be gained from your constant argument. Keep serving new foods combined with old ones and prevent processed foods so that they don't fixate about it.
When you can, include a multivitamin with any medication your youngster is taking. If they do not take any then introducing a chewable multivitamin sweet could be the way forward.
I hope this provides you some insightful tips in terms of eating routine and your child with Aspergers.
The parent’s priority was that their child had not been getting enough nutrients from the food they were eating and so they were concerned this could lead to further issues down the road which is a very valid concern.
So what exactly is the solution for a youngster with Aspergers who'll only eat selected foods?
Asperger’s eating habits often worry those near them, the Syndrome itself could cause unusual reactions to new foods because an alteration towards the routine that is essential to an Aspergers sufferer. They will normally outright refuse change on levels far beyond the foodstuff provided to them which may result in uncontrollable tantrums if not managed carefully. To a kid with Aspergers, things could taste too salty or bitter and they can frequently refuse food that ‘smells bad’ in their mind. One of the largest problems though can be the texture of the food which can create a gagging reflex to start working which can make the meals off limits. As regular readers will know, I don’t have problems with Aspergers, however flaky fish starts my gagging reflex so I can relate with an Aspergers sufferer about this. When i think about it, we all have experienced some food which may do that to us. And, like a child, any food which does this, we generally avoid.
The diet from the writers’ child isn’t as bad as it might've been, (I saw on television quite recently an Aspergers child who would eat only biscuits). Their child gets protein in the eggs, milk, cheese, chicken and hamburgers. They are getting fibre in the bread and hamburger buns. Other nutritional supplements can be found in the potatoes and crisps. So all in all the diet plan might be a lot worse… Actually their diet is certainly not far from a typical childs consumption of nutrients.
However, the diet can be made greater with fruits & veg. The things they could try is instead of buying pre-packaged, make them in your own home. When making burgers, you normally have to have a binder so you could liquefy vegetables in to the burger mix and they'll be none the wiser.
They can liquify some cauliflower to the mashed potatoes too?
Most significantly though, never give up trying new foods with an Aspergers Sufferer. Whilst most youngsters with Aspergers will refuse food after smelling, they might try some. If you are having something different to your child at breakfast time then offer them some of yours at each meal time. If you are able to enter into your child’s routine that they have a single mouthful of your food before starting theirs you might be in a position to discover other foods that they'll eat.
If your kid is suffering from Aspergers then remember that you shouldn't create a problem about what he does and eat. Should you, it's going to raise the Asperger’s eating problems. It is all about picking the battles you are able to win as nothing will be gained from your constant argument. Keep serving new foods combined with old ones and prevent processed foods so that they don't fixate about it.
When you can, include a multivitamin with any medication your youngster is taking. If they do not take any then introducing a chewable multivitamin sweet could be the way forward.
I hope this provides you some insightful tips in terms of eating routine and your child with Aspergers.