Tips to Get Your Autistic (picky) Child to Eat (and try new food)
By: Vanessa Blanchard
Autistic kids are known to be picky eaters, sometimes so picky that their parents worry they won’t get enough nutrition. There are a number of reasons this can happen.
Sensory Sensitivities
It’s common for autistic kids to be picky eaters. This, like so many autistic behaviors, is seen as defiance when really it boils down to sensory sensitivities for the child.
Unagreeable textures can cause a picky eater. Tastes, temperature, etc. can also contribute to food aversions. If your child has synesthesia, these sensory aversions can be multiplied and harder for your child to describe to you.
Other Reasons for Picky Eating
Another common issue in refusing food is stress. If your child is being bullied or feels out of control in their life, they might be unable to eat. Fight or flight stress states suppress digestion and feelings of hunger. Some even report being unable to swallow, as if their bodies are rejecting food.
Sometimes, being a picky eater is about needing routines. Trying new foods is outside of an established routine and therefore uncomfortable or overwhelming. Likewise, routine foods can be a huge source of comfort.
Autistic kids can’t always read signals from their bodies, either. So, they’ll miss physical cues that they’re hungry.
What to Do
Let your kid eat foods they enjoy.
Work with your child to figure out what sensory issues or stress issues they might have with food.
Introduce new foods in a low-pressure way.
Make meals and trying new foods very routine so that eating and trying new things is more predictable.
What Not to Do
Don’t force them to eat things they don’t want to eat.
Don’t let people judge you for your kid’s diet. They’re kids and you’re doing your best to help them out.
About the writer
I’m a writer, artist, and advocate who loves living in Maine among the trees and oceanside villages. I’m also autistic, ADHD, and PTSD. My education, both academic and personal, has centered around mental health and neurodevelopmental disabilities, as well as discrimination and the socioeconomic consequences of living disabled in America. I work to plant seeds and spread ideas through my writing.
You can find me on Twitter @ladysnessa.