Autism and Food!

On a recent trip to Hong Kong and Vietnam, I was offered a taste of snake soup. My imagination went wild and it made me feel a little nauseated. I also had a bag of cooked Quail eggs thrust towards me.... I am not good with eggs at the best of times and there was no way I could bring myself to sample one, although I did have fun snapping a few photographs!

Unlike me, Nick doesn't have any preconceived ideas about what he could be eating! However, he is an extremely picky eater; although to be fair, sensory issues most definitely play a role in his unwillingness to try anything new. When I think about experimenting with Nick's limited range of food, I try to take into account my own feelings when confronted with a food that I find scary unappealing. This has helped me to be more mindful of how I introduce new tastes and textures to Nick.

If you have been following this blog for a few years, you will know that Nick's food issues got so bad that he was refusing everything except cereal. I had to take a stand and do something about it. Over time, Nick has come to understand that I have one rule and that is he must try one piece/a small morsel/sample of what I offer him. I don't make a big deal of it and Nick knows that I won't make him eat anymore than that one taste. Having this rule has helped tremendously and his food intake is so much better than what it was two years ago.

I also use the concepts, 'same but different' and 'edge plus 1'. For example; Nick loves Macaroni Cheese. One day I added a couple of cooked peas. I told Nick that he was having the same Macaroni Cheese, however, it was a little bit different because of the peas! Over time, I kept adding more peas and he now gobbles them up with ease. Recently I started adding a tiny bit of finely chopped chicken breast.... and again, I will gradually increase the amount and size of the chicken pieces.

Our food journey is a long story and one that doesn't have an end in sight. My aim is to make it an enjoyable and encouraging adventure.