The Picky Eater

This is not my child but, that’s the face he gives me when I put food in front of him that he doesn’t like. PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.shoppinglifestyle.com

So I have a son who’s 2 years old and has autism. He’s never been a great eater but, I have noticed that he’s getting more picky. It seems that he has a problem with foods that are of funny texture. I’ve heard that many Autistic kids go through this and I’m wondering how many other parents out there went through this? 

In the first place, he will not eat any kind of sauces and that includes Mayo, Ketchup, Mustard, Ranch, BBQ or any other sauce. He will not touch multi-colored foods like vegetables (especially not the mixed one’s). He’s highly allergic to fruits so he doesn’t know what they taste like. He will eat anything chicken but, not much else. He’ll eat French Fries and Potatoes (whether whole or chopped) and he’ll eat beef tips but will not eat bread or hamburgers. 

It’s become so bad the doctor has put him on PediaSure because he’s not getting the nutrition he needs from foods even though he’s above average for the guideline for weight. He is not mal-nourished by any means, he’s very healthy it’s just that the doctor is concerned about him losing weight in the future or not getting enough vitamins. We did have him on gummy vitamins but, they apparently were not giving him the right amount of nutrition or at least the doctor could not tell a difference.

If your child is going through this, it’s so important to talk to your pediatrician about it because, they may need testing to see if they have digestive issues or other sensitivities not related to the Autism. For our son, he was born nearly a month early because I had a placental abruption and had to have an emergency c-section and he was born at right at 6 pounds but, could not breathe at birth due to consuming blood and pieces of the placenta. He was in the NICU for 3 days and we stayed in the hospital an additional 2 days.  After we brought him home, he had colic really bad and that actually continued until he was 6 months old and he also had acid reflux so he was on a special formula. It took a long time to get him well and now he’s struggling to eat again. I’m not sure if he’s just not interested in the foods and he is going through both the picky eater stage that happens with 2 year old’s or it’s the Autism. 

If anyone else has gone through this with their Autistic child or your 2 year old please comment on this blog and tell me the story and what if anything helped your child.