Help My Child Won’t Eat!

This has to be one of the main issue that parents call us about, within our FREE Clinical Appointments. It can be really scary when your child is not eating, especially when they're still young and developing. Don’t worry! In this article, we aim to give you some helpful tips on how to get your child to eat.

Need extra support? Why not book a FREE Clinical appointment with an autism specialist by clicking here.

Sensory difficulties

Ok so you may have noticed that your child only sticks to a certain type of food and very rarely veers away from those comfort foods. This is actually a common trait within autism as most of the time, your child will struggle to eat other foods due to the texture. We’ve all got certain foods that we just don’t like to eat (mine is sprouts) because of the way it feels in your mouth. This is what is happening with your child, but just on a more grander scale.

Try to stick to the same food when you can, and slowly introduce new foods. This can be as subtle as plating a new vegetable on a separate plate and placing this next to them. You could even try modelling this food (without making it obvious that you want them to try the food). What you may find is that your child’s natural curiosity kicks in and they try the food when you’re not looking.

Routine

Another reason could be that your child has developed a routine where they eat a certain meal or food at a certain time. For example, we’ve worked with families that their child always eats McDonald’s on the way back from school and this has become a routine. Eventually their entire diet becomes nothing but chicken nuggets and chips.

If you’re in this situation, it may be to incorporate another (healthier) food stop before going to McDonald’s (or when they’re expecting to eat a specific type of food). For example, if your child always eats fast food, then you could schedule in going to a healthier place first for a “light snack” and then McDonald’s. Eventually, your child would be eating the healthier option more and more and wouldn’t be able to eat as much of the unhealthier option.

Need more support? Why not book a FREE Clinical appointment with an autism specialist at CareGen. Just click here to book.