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How Can I Make Mealtimes Better for Picky Eaters with Autism?
For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families, mealtime can often feel like a struggle. Many parents face challenging eating behaviors in their children with ASD.
These may include being extremely selective, exhibiting picky eating habits, or expressing disruptive outbursts when it’s time to sit down for meals.
These challenges and other features of neurodiversity can sometimes make it difficult for children on the spectrum to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet.
Over time, picky eating can also begin to affect the entire family negatively. It may lead to a more chaotic home environment, or families may even restrict their participation in enjoyable activities due to their loved one’s food sensitivities.
If these circumstances seem familiar to you in any capacity, please know you’re not alone.
Research indicates that children with autism are five times more likely to face mealtime difficulties compared to their peers.
This data prompts many parents to ask: How can I make mealtimes better for picky eaters with autism?
The answer to this question involves taking a few careful steps. These include ruling out medical concerns, meeting your child where they are, and focusing on gradually introducing new foods over time.
In many cases, using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy can also help families manage challenging mealtime behaviors.
This blog by ABA Centers of Delaware will examine the connection between autism and picky eating. We will also offer helpful ABA tips for supporting youth with autism throughout this journey.
To learn more about ABA care with ABA Centers of Delaware, click here. To read our other blogs about ABA, autism, and neurodiversity, visit us here.
Understanding the Link Between Picky Eating and Autism
Research shows a strong relationship between autism and picky eating. Below are some common factors revealing why:
Sensory Processing Issues in Autism
Many neurodivergent individuals experience sensory sensitivities that can make certain foods and textures unappealing. For example, they may express adverse reactions to food:
- Taste
- Texture
- Smell
- Appearance
These sensitivities and preferences can lead to picky eating habits, as kids on the spectrum may only feel comfortable eating a limited range of foods.
For example, a soft, squishy food like tomatoes might feel overstimulating to some because of its texture. In contrast, the crunch of a crisp apple might feel safe and familiar.
Food Aversion and Anxiety
Many children with autism experience anxiety about trying new or unfamiliar foods, in addition to sensory sensitivities.
Introducing new foods without setting expectations can increase worries and stress, potentially leading to more rigidity in their eating behaviors.
Behaviors
Ritualistic behaviors like refusing to eat foods that touch or consume them in a specific order are not common in ASD. Sadly, these behaviors can reinforce food aversions and further restrict the variety in a neurodivergent child’s diet.
Additionally, children on the spectrum may develop intense fixations on certain foods. As a result, they may refuse to try new ones due to these deep interests.
Communication Struggles
Many children with autism struggle with communication, which can affect how they express their food preferences and dislikes.
This difficulty in communicating can also sometimes lead to frustration during meals, as parents may find it challenging to encourage their children to eat.
GI Disorders and Medical Issues
Some children with ASD may also have gastrointestinal disorders that can contribute to their picky eating habits. Before caregivers begin to introduce new foods to the ASD child who exhibits limiting eating behaviors, they must rule out any medical complications.
Families must do this with expert medical advice and through professional evaluations.
GI disorders, such as acid reflux, constipation, or food allergies, can cause discomfort and pain during mealtimes for children with autism. This discomfort may lead them to avoid certain foods and increase their maladaptive behaviors during mealtimes.
9 ABA Strategies for Overcoming Picky Eating in Autism
ABA therapy offers families proven strategies for addressing picky eating and other challenging eating patterns in children with autism.
Here are nine actionable steps families can take while they introduce food variety to limit frustration or fear:
1. Begin with Gradual Exposure
Begin by introducing tiny portions of new foods, such as a single pea or sliver of a carrot.
Try your best to encourage your child to look at it, touch it, and smell it before tasting it to reduce overwhelm. Research shows it takes 8-15 exposures to a new food before a person truly accepts it, so patience is critical in this process.
2. Create Mealtime Routines
Establishing structured mealtimes with helpful routines can significantly reduce anxiety for individuals with ASD by setting clear expectations. It’s also essential to serve meals consistently and in a calm environment.
Additionally, involve your child in the routine process by asking for their assistance. For instance, they can help set the table or assist with meal preparation.
3. Tune Into Textures
Experiment with modifying the texture of foods to make them more appealing to your child.
For example, blending tomatoes into a pasta sauce or pureeing vegetables into smoothies if you know it is a highly preferred texture.
4. Offer Choices and Control
Provide options and encourage independent choice-making in your ASD child. To do this, instead of dictating the meal, offer a variety of acceptable choices.
For example, when serving vegetables, offer options like choosing between broccoli or carrots so children feel more empowered.
5. Play With Food
Turn food into a fun, low-pressure experience whenever possible to increase positive associations with eating and trying new foods.
For example, use cookie cutters to make silly-shaped sandwiches or make veggie pizzas with smiley faces. Creating these positive associations helps to reduce negative emotions around eating and makes the experience more enjoyable.
6. Stay Calm and Patient
Stay relaxed and avoid turning mealtime into a battle even when triggers arise to de-escalate the situation.
7. Provide Positive Reinforcement
Use positive reinforcement techniques whenever possible. Also, try to celebrate every win!
For example, praise your child for a job well done by offering them rewards you know they appreciate. Parents and educators can also implement a motivating token system or verbal compliments that reinforce expanding food choices.
8. Use Visual Supports
For children with communication difficulties, visual supports can clarify expectations and improve communication during mealtimes. Caregivers can use visual supports like providing children with pictures of different foods and a schedule of mealtimes to ensure they have clarity.
9. Model Eating Behaviors
Children with autism often learn through imitation. By modeling positive eating behaviors and demonstrating your enjoyment of different foods, parents can help their children realize that trying new things can lead to fantastic results!
Implementing ABA Tips Can Help Caregivers Gradually Expand Their Child’s Dietary Preferences While Improving Their Relationship with Food!
Addressing the connection between autism and picky eating requires striking a careful balance between encouraging flexibility and respecting a child’s sensory boundaries.
It’s also important to recognize that not all children with autism experience picky eating, and some may have very diverse taste preferences!
By understanding this link and utilizing ABA strategies to address it, caregivers can help their ASD children improve their eating behaviors and mealtime experiences in the long term.
Additionally, seeking support from professionals, such as ABA therapists or nutritionists, can provide personalized guidance, which is critical for many caregivers to consider.
With persistence, understanding, and collaboration, you can successfully navigate picky eating behaviors in your child or teenager on the autism spectrum to experience better outcomes.
So, don’t lose hope.
Supporting More than Picky Eating In ASD with ABA Centers of Delaware!
At ABA Centers of Delaware, we understand how challenging mealtimes can be for neurodivergent families. That’s why we provide tailored ABA support for picky eating habits and other complicated ASD behaviors.
Our ABA programming focuses on creating realistic, positive meal strategies that help your child or teen on the spectrum thrive both nutritionally and behaviorally.
So don’t tackle these issues alone.
Contact us at ABA Centers of Delaware by calling (844) 855-8517 or click here to learn more about our approach to ABA care and ASD diagnostics.
Remember, every step towards a more balanced life is a valuable achievement for your child’s overall health and well-being throughout life.
So, let us help you with ABA therapy.
