It is rare for parents not to have difficulties in dealing with their children's moods and fluctuations when eating, or at least the complex eating habits they insist on, such as refusing to eat some dishes. But in children with autism spectrum disorder these behaviors are more present, which is why their parents have more difficulty feeding them, and often find themselves in complex positions around the dining table.
In an article published by Child Mind, writer Julian Gary offers a range of practical advice for parents who have difficulty persuading their children to eat and their eating behaviors.
The author cited Dr. Stephanie Lee, a psychologist at the Institute for Child Mind Research in New York, who has worked long with many families to deal with the eating problems faced by her autistic children.
The aim of her work with these children, who are difficult to deal with their behaviors at mealtime, is to enable them to have a varied and healthy diet that is perfectly suited to family culture and relieves tensions within the home.
Understanding the underlying causes of autism's eating habits is the first step towards enabling him to feel better and comfortable, treating with new dishes, and making eating time more enjoyable and quiet for the whole family.
Exclude gastrointestinal diseases first
When a child with autism spectrum is exposed to eating problems, the first step parents should take is to go to a pediatric gastroenterologist, who can rule out all possible organic causes. Children with autism may have a digestive problem that affects the average child.
According to Dr. Joseph Levy, a pediatric gastroenterologist who works with people with autism, the problem is that they are unable to speak or to locate pain. In this case, parents need to be vigilant and seek to find the cause of the child's discomfort.
The author presented a range of the most common digestive problems in children, namely :
Reflux oesophageal acid, which is a common problem in children, but in people with autism may lead to abnormal behaviors; such as jumping and running or acting chaotic or crying, in moments when the acid bounces back to the child's throat.
2 - Constipation caused by the absence of diversity in eating or delay in going to the bathroom, is also a common problem in children with autism, and makes eating time very difficult for them, because it makes them feel full or pain in the stomach.
3 - Esophagitis is also a problem when swallowing, and makes the child feel that suffocated or vomiting. This feeling is usually caused by eating, makes the child feel pain and discomfort, and develop behavioral problems.
4. There is also a problem of diarrhea that may be linked to the diet of the child, or also because of the poor absorption of types of sugar, or the rapid movement of food through the stomach and intestines, where there is not enough time for the stool to become solid.
Behavioral problems when eating
Some of the behaviors of an autistic child at the time of eating can cause real problems for him and his family, including:
1. Food allergy problems : Children with autism often prefer to eat certain foods because of the feeling they give them inside the mouth during chewing. Some insist on eating only soft or liquid foods, such as yoghurt, soup and ice cream, while others want the excitement that accompanies crunchy foods such as potatoes. Child.
2 - weakness of the muscles of the mouth : Children who prefer soft foods at all times may lose the necessary strength and development, which is supposed to occur in the muscles of the mouth, in order to gain the ability to eat solid foods or require cutting force such as meat.
Dr Lee says these children are tired when eating these foods, and they find it annoying. Parents should be warned that allowing children to eat comfort food at all times may eventually make their mouth muscles too weak and unable to eat other foods.
3 - time and behavior at the table eating : Many parents face difficult situations when trying to convince the child to sit on the chair enough time to finish the meal, and this challenge becomes more difficult with children with autism. There is also the problem of safety. When forced to stay in the same place to eat, these children may engage in dangerous or harmful behaviors and movements, or negative behaviors where they have been forced to stay, which may include throwing a spoon or fork, or Jump out of the chair and run away every time.
How do these behaviors escalate?
Parents of children with autism often focus on a number of needs at the same time, such as speech problems, going to the bathroom, integrating into school, and complying with advice. They also prioritize these challenges at the expense of the diversification of food that the child accepts. Eating problems are ignored until they develop and become very serious, or parents take notice of them late and decide to deal with them.
According to Dr. Lee: "If a child is eating 10 foods, and these 10 foods keep him alive and well, the parents will just be on this list. But ignoring this issue makes it harder to resolve in the future. The longer these negative behaviors persist, the more entrenched the child will become and treat them." This is not to say that parents can simply give up, but it will take longer to address these behaviors and need more persistence and patience when it is too late. ”
Techniques for dealing with food problems
The author presents a set of ideas and tips that help solve these problems, in order to achieve nutritional goals and reduce tension and differences around the table:
1. Prioritization : Parents often seek to solve all behavioral problems simultaneously.This is a mistake and complicates matters.First, you must prioritize, whether the variety of foods the child eats, the amount he eats, or the amount of time he sits on the chair.
2. Start small meals : It is very important to adopt the method of gradient; for example, when seeking to incorporate a new dish within the diet of the child, you can start giving them so small quantities, so that he will not be disturbed or noticed taste.
3 - Avoid excessive pressure : If the child is sitting for ten minutes at the table, which is a good period of time, parents should not put additional pressure on the child and ask him to sit longer. Dr. Lee says this is a mistake, and can lead to stress, especially since the child has put a lot of trouble to stay for ten minutes.
4 - Go to your child where it is : If the child refuses to eat any food you put in front of him, you may have to forget the idea of asking them to finish the entire course. Alternatively, you can set realistic goals, and let him deal with the amount he wants.
5. Make your wait clear : Parents can explain to the child the goals they set, how they should end up eating the meal, and what is a success for them. There are ways to clarify and simplify this for the child, such as putting a wall clock or an alarm clock in front of him to show him the time he should spend around the dining table with the family.
6. Use encouragement and praise: Praising your child every time they make small progress is a key factor in solving problems. This praise can be in several forms:
- Use well-known praise phrases such as "well done" or "excellent".
- Determine the praiseworthy behavior accurately, such as saying: "Thank you for sitting quietly on the table" or "I liked the way you tried the new eating", or "Thank you for putting your dish in the wash basin."
- Praise is more than blame: This method may be very difficult, but Dr. Lee stresses that the focus of parents to hear the child praise five times for each time heard blame, is a very useful method.
7. Being determined, patient and persistent : It can take a long time to accustom a child or even an adult to new food and many attempts, and the number of attempts, according to Dr. Lee to between 7 and 12 times, until someone decides whether he likes this food or not. Therefore, patience and perseverance are crucial factors to diversify the child's diet and get used to new dishes.
8 - how to deal with tantrums : We can not expect the child to change his eating habits simply, but will show a lot of resistance, and uses hostile expressions or show negative behaviors such as screaming and crying. In this case, Dr. Lee recommends the use of "intentional ignorance", which means pretending not to be indifferent to the child as long as his behavior is not dangerous to him.
9 - Written record of foods : The introduction of new foods in the diet of the child must be thoughtful and orderly. Therefore, Dr. Lee proposes to parents to keep a written record of the foods eaten by the child and the effects of it, if repeated constipation, for example, you should visit a pediatrician or specialist in the digestive system to understand it, especially since children with autism spectrum suffer a lot when going to the bathroom, so Because of problems with bowel movement, it causes them to feel disturbed at the time of eating.
10 - Be the example at the time of eating : Often, we can play the role of the role model for our children, because they learn by observing our actions more than they learn through our words. Instead of telling the child the importance of a balanced and varied diet, we can start to follow it ourselves and make sure that we enjoy eating time with children, away from the causes of distraction and distraction, such as telephone and television.