It’s common for autistic children to experience sensory sensitivities which can cause them to take in either too much or too little information from the world around them. This can include triggers such as light or noise levels. It can also lead to the colour, shape, texture, smell and taste of certain foods becoming an issue. As result, mealtimes can become a daily battle, creating stress and anxiety for your child.
It can also be extremely challenging for you as a parent, but remember that difficulties around food and eating are incredibly common and you’re not alone in this. We spoke to expert clinicians Dr Ann Ozsivadjian and Dr Marianna Murin to seek guidance and advice on how to help make the dining table a happy place for the whole family.
Keep a food diary
A good first step is to keep a food diary recording the amount and types of food eaten and when. Sometimes your children will have bad days, but you may find they are eating enough over the course of a whole week. Being able to track your child’s progress like this makes it easier to celebrate those little wins.
Offer one thing they like
Always offer your child at least one food they can eat every mealtime. Don’t refuse to offer preferred foods, as this will increase your child’s anxiety levels. Keep offering new and less preferred foods in a low-pressure way, alongside safe foods even if they are refused. If you completely give up on vegetables, so will your child! Help them to feel more in control.
Make food fun!
Use your child’s interests and favourite topics to increase their enthusiasm for food. Have a dinosaur-themed messy play session or get an older child with an interest in numbers to help you measure out ingredients. For neurotypical children, it can take around 15 occasions before a new food is considered familiar enough to eat. For autistic children, introducing a new food is likely to take much more time as they often have a strong preference for things to be the same.
Trying new food isn’t just eating
Trying can mean looking at, learning about or playing with new food. It can even be just helping to serve food onto others’ plates. All positive experiences of exploring a new food are steps towards one day feeling confident enough to eat it. Encourage your child to focus on the sensory properties of new food in a positive way: “What colour is it?”, “How does it feel?”, “Does it taste like anything else you’ve eaten?”
Minimise distractions
If possible, minimise your child’s reliance on distractions at mealtimes. Watching others eat or looking at the food on the table can be the first step to becoming more confident in eating it themselves. However, if your child’s anxiety is so high that they need distractions in order to eat anything at all at mealtimes, talk to a healthcare professional with experience with eating and food difficulties.
Seek help and advice
If you’re worried that your child isn’t growing, is losing weight, is reliant on only a few foods, or has cut out certain food groups from their diet entirely, seek professional help and advice. Your child’s GP is a good starting place as they should have knowledge of local services supporting children with eating difficulties.
