Ahana’s mother is at her wits’ end. Little Ahana refuses to try new additions to her range of foodstuffs. What is more, any negotiations or force-feeding ends up in tantrums or meltdowns. The 5-year-old is on the spectrum, and her parents are worried that limiting her diet to a narrow range of food items is likely to impact the little one’s growth and development.

This is a fairly common scenario in households where the child is with ASD. The concerns of parents or grandparents and caregivers are genuine because researchers have found that such children are 5 times more likely to exhibit behavioural issues, throw tantrums and limit themselves to ritualistic methods of food consumption.

If the child suffers from chronic eating difficulties, it may in turn create poor social skills and academic challenges. Moreover, it may lead to obesity and cardiovascular disease during the individual’s adolescence and later in adulthood.

Using force and being tough or even employing age-old negotiations of trading food items (“You eat the salad, and I will give you your favourite sweet.” for eg..) for feeding the child is unlikely to work in taking away the aversion or outright fear of ingesting a certain food – raw or cooked.

These are very real challenges that one deals with during mealtimes for autistic children as compared with non-autistic ones.

Be patient and take charge

Experts suggest that you should remember the fact that your child or grandchild is special, and therefore may develop aversions to certain foods, which she may not be expressing clearly to you. As always, easy does it. Deal with this situation with patience.

Take charge and rule out any food allergies or food intolerance that may be associated with a food item concerning the child. That done, try and discover when and why the dislike developed? Could it be possible that there is a history of tummy ache or indigestion associated? Naturally, the child remembers and has a phobia of the food item. In this case, you need tact and counseling, the child will help that it was probably a one-off case.

First and foremost, try and find out the reason behind the aversion.

Common findings in children with ASD

It has been observed that many autistic children are intolerant towards gluten (associated with wheat) or lactose (milk and milk products). Many parents have observed that the autistic child’s overall health tends to improve when milk and wheat are eliminated altogether from their diets.

Research is still underway and there are no concrete scientific findings to validate this point. However, it does remain that the lack of these important components in the diet tends to negatively affect the normal health and development of any child because the intake of calcium is essential for the healthy development of bones and protein is crucial for the overall development of muscles and organs.

In such a scenario, the child’s dietary requirements must be ensured through foods that will provide the same or close to the same nutrition as milk and wheat.

Your healthcare provider is the best person to work this out with you as each child is growing differently and there cannot be a thumb rule for alternative foods. The underlining fact is that children with ASD need to be monitored closely for what agrees with the constitution and ensure healthy nutritional value at the same time.

Be creative

Experts suggest that in case of fussy little eaters in the family, including autistic ones, you need to rev up your creativity in the kitchen and dining area. The challenges of feeding a picky child may range from mild to acute and must be dealt with on a day-to-day basis.

If you observe that your child habitually rejects a certain food item, you could approach mealtime a bit differently. Set up an arrangement of the foodstuff in its raw and uncooked form and join the child feeling, smelling, chopping, or peeling and making up small installations with it, using its unique shape and size. Potatoes and beetroot could be cut into rounds and arranged like wheels or platters, or stacked up one on top of the other. Carrots could be sliced into long strips and interesting models – say a fence or ladder. Be as creative as you wish, but take care not to waste the food. Then, you may announce,” Today, we shall be having beetroot and carrots for salad.” It may help the child get a diverted with the play models still playing in her mind, and she will not revolt outrightly at the dish.

It is also suggested that you spend some time placing the cooked dish in front of her and spend time feeling the texture, commenting on the color and shapes in cooked form, creating similarities with other objects she knows. It’s all play again to divert her and ease the dish into acceptance.

Usually, such gentle but firm tactics ensure that the child protests less and may even gradually accept the food items on her menu.

As it is difficult at times to comprehend what forces an autistic child to refuse or rebel against a particular food on her menu, it is important to deal with the situation with as much patience as possible and even keep encouraging her to understand her point of concern.

At times, it may even be the simple fact that while a vegetable looks a certain kind in its uncooked, raw form, it is hugely different once cooked. Brinjals and tomatoes may be firm in the vegetable basket or refrigerator but turn squishy in a cooked dish. This difference, while quite plausible to a child, may be a cause, deep bewilderment, and even rejection in the case of an autistic child.

So, in essence, be patient and be as creative as you can while designing meals for an autistic child.

What medical professionals and clinicians say

While the majority are of the opinion that further research will doubtless reveal newer facets of diet and nutritional planning for children with ASD and help both doctors and caregivers, a proper diet assessment must be of considerable importance for all ASD individuals. This must be ensured in collaboration with healthcare providers. Alternative diets that parents hear from other parents or read about in the media seem to agree in many cases, but it is prudent to consult a properly qualified medical professional and understand if it is deficient in nutritional requirements. Such deficiencies must be addressed to ensure the holistic development of the child.

Common medical and nutritional deficiency challenges in children with ASD

Such children run the risk of having food intolerances and allergies and nutritional deficiencies caused by food intake and behavioural issues. Such feeding problems lead to a variety of GI symptoms like abdominal distention, bloating and discomfort, chronic diarrhea, excessive formation of gas in the system, GERD, constipation, regurgitation, fecal impaction, and leaky gut.

The process of diagnosis throws up several challenges as small children up to 3 years of age are mostly unable to communicate their discomfort and symptoms clearly.

To sum up, each child with ASD must be evaluated and treated individually for food and dietary challenges with the aid of a competent medical professional. Extra care and patience are required for food administration to such children.

References:
Nutrition and autism

Diet and autism

Encouraging picky eaters autism try new foods

Tags: Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Health, Diet for Autistic Kids

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Please consult your medical professional or qualified healthcare provider for issues related to your child.