Eating Problems

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My son has problems eating different kinds of food. He still eats babyfood, but only a select few. He will eat crunchy things like crackers, but eats very few things that most children love ie: chicken nuggets. He will eat certain things for a while then will refuse to eat them again. He also has a problem throwing up foods, even if he has eaten them a hundred times. Does anyone have a suggestion of what I can do or try? Help me please!

How old is your son?

If he is vomiting after eating he may have an overactive gag reflex. My 3 year old Autie has trouble eating gelatinous foods such as pudding and yogurt...she will gag. OT can help with that. My daughter still wont touch pudding but will lick the yogurt off the spoon, small amounts seem to help her. If your son is eating baby food you might try shakes or smoothies....but again he needs OT.

Hello...I'm albert's mom....my son will be turning 19 years old in september. I joined this forum seeking guidance on how to get him diagnosed for possibly having ASPERGER's disorder. Your question about your child's odd behavior with food is something that my son has had since before he was 1 year old. And it persisted all the way til now. SAme thing happened with him. Liked a very limited kind of food, like for instance potted meat, and that's all he would eat, until he would get sick of it and refused to eat it again. Then, I would try him on something different, like vienna sausages, and again, he would eat them until he would just get sick of them. Other odd foods that he would only eat, would be like peanut butter with a spoon but not on bread. OH, he loves cake, but it cannot have anything crunchy like nuts or coconut in it or else he will not have it. I tried explaining his eating disorder to doctors but they would insist that because all of his blood work and physical exams appeared normal, that there wasn't anything wrong with him, and that he would eat when he was ready. I always had hoped that he would break out of this, but now I am convinced that he will never will. His eating behavior is not the only behavior that coincides with Asperger's. He displays mannerism, has difficulty relating to others, mono-toned speech, etc... THanks for letting me share my story and wish I could have some advice for you on the eating issue. I guess that I just wanted to share this with you, to let you know that you are not alone in your pain and frustration as a parent.

i'd be more concerned with the throwing up than the limited number of foods he eats............is he forcing himself to throw up ?

Sometimes he will just so he doesn't have to eat what he is being served. Sometimes he does it when he has had too much of something. And, sometimes he does it because of dislike for taste or texture.

My son used to throw up all the time before he was 2. After 2 he rarely threw up anymore, I'm guessing because all the occupational therapy finally started helping. I don't know if I have any specific advice for you, but if you can get some outside help on getting him a "sensory diet" he may see improvement. Things like squeezing him inside blankets and pillows, brushing him (we got these nice soft plastic brushes from the OT, we do his arms and legs) and letting him play in things like ball pits and on trampolines a lot.

ok, first, you need to make sure that you are feeding your son foods that he likes. forcing him to eat foods because you like them, or because they are "healthy" doesn't work- not saying that you're doing this, but IDK....once you've determined that the foods you are serving are not offensive- ie; he won't eat them because of their specific texture/taste - you can come up with consequences for the throwing up behavior.
he needs to have consequences for the throwing up behavior . IMO, i think it's ok to make him clean it up. ( i'm assuming that this child is over the age of 3).........i think the behavior would stop pretty quickly........just to clarify, i would only make my child clean it up when it was done purposely