Re: Help please with eating issues

May 27, 2010

Serena

I right away wonder if your child is just doing this as a behavior because he gets a lot of attention from doing this. If he is given a lot of attention, even if it is negative, then he is being reinforced for the behavior. So I would suggest just ignoring this behavior and I bet it goes away. If he throws the food just leave it there and don't make a big deal about it. If he only eats the breading, ignore that too. I would give that a try and I bet if this behavior is ignored, he will stop doing it.

Nutrition wise, he will be fine. Once the current behaviors are under control, then start introducing different foods. Maybe different fruits, veggies, etc. And give positive reinforcement for even touching the food, then for trying it, then for eating it. This is a gradual behavioral approach.

Of course, give him a multivitamin daily too. The gummi ones seem to be the ones kids like better

Hope this helps.

-----Original Message-----From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of omalleyfamily1Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 11:55 AMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: Help please with eating issues

Hi there. My son is 2 1/2 and has always had texture related eating issues. When we first tried baby foods, he would spit them out over and over again until the pediatrician recommended just moving to finger foods when was about 8 months old. We've been casein free because of test results for 4 months, and just went gluten free about 4 weeks ago. 's eating issues (no pureed or slimy or cold foods) are compounded by a restrictive diet. He doesn't try new things, so with each new restriction, it just cut down on the foods he's eaten without adding anything new or healthy to his diet. So....here's my current dilemma. The only meats he was eating were meatballs (which he just won't touch anymore unless it's to throw them on the ground), and chicken nuggets (which we've been breading ourselves in rice flour for 4 months). Besides the eggs in the morning, there's just no other protein coming into his diet. So a couple of weeks ago, he started picking pieces off of his already bite size pieces of eggs, and then throwing the rest. He's down from about 2 eggs each morning to maybe 1/2 of an egg....maybe. The chicken situation is worse. He's now just picking the breading off of the chicken and then throwing the chicken itself. Once the chicken has no breading, or even little breading, he won't touch it (except to throw it). This diet is quickly becoming a rice/corn/soy diet, and I have no idea what to do about it. I tried holding one of his hands while he ate so that he couldn't peel pieces off of the chicken, and he just bit a piece off of the breading, and then managed to shake the rest off with one hand. I could sit him in the high chair all day, and he'd just cry and get down. I don't want to starve him until he gets desperate enough to eat again, but I can't allow him to just keep eating a diet of corn, apples, gfcf cereals, pancakes and french toast. Before going cf, he ate so many different foods, but there's no going back with that one. His chicken and eggs have remained constant for the past 4 1/2 months, and I just don't understand why he's going to decide now to stop eating protein. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting a child with texture issues to eat??Oh, and as a side note, his sensory issues are rapidly spinning out of control, with an increase in stimming that just makes me sick to my stomach. *sigh*I'd really appreciate ANY help at all. Thank you!Serena

May 27, 2010

Serena, below on your post. You just mentioned PART of the main culprit here with textures issues. Totally agree sounds like a sensory issue.Has your son been evaluated by an OT who specializes with Sensory process disorder (sensory integration disorder)?

One could apply the Oral Beckman therapy & also utilized like a DnZ-Vibe.In other words some oral-motor activities could assist here during the feeding issues to help desensitize & stimulate some of the sensory input within such textures.

Wish you well here. Irma

Hi there. My son is 2 1/2 and has always had texture related eating issues. When we first tried baby foods, he would spit them out over and over again until the pediatrician recommended just moving to finger foods when was about 8 months old. We've been casein free because of test results for 4 months, and just went gluten free about 4 weeks ago. 's eating issues (no pureed or slimy or cold foods) are compounded by a restrictive diet. He doesn't try new things, so with each new restriction, it just cut down on the foods he's eaten without adding anything new or healthy to his diet.

So....here's my current dilemma. The only meats he was eating were meatballs (which he just won't touch anymore unless it's to throw them on the ground), and chicken nuggets (which we've been breading ourselves in rice flour for 4 months). Besides the eggs in the morning, there's just no other protein coming into his diet. So a couple of weeks ago, he started picking pieces off of his already bite size pieces of eggs, and then throwing the rest. He's down from about 2 eggs each morning to maybe 1/2 of an egg....maybe. The chicken situation is worse. He's now just picking the breading off of the chicken and then throwing the chicken itself. Once the chicken has no breading, or even little breading, he won't touch it (except to throw it). This diet is quickly becoming a rice/corn/soy diet, and I have no idea what to do about it. I tried holding one of his hands while he ate so that he couldn't peel pieces off of the chicken, and he just bit a piece off of the breading, and then managed to shake the rest off with one hand. I could sit him in the high chair all day, and he'd just cry and get down.

I don't want to starve him until he gets desperate enough to eat again, but I can't allow him to just keep eating a diet of corn, apples, gfcf cereals, pancakes and french toast. Before going cf, he ate so many different foods, but there's no going back with that one. His chicken and eggs have remained constant for the past 4 1/2 months, and I just don't understand why he's going to decide now to stop eating protein.

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting a child with texture issues to eat??

Oh, and as a side note, his sensory issues are rapidly spinning out of control, with an increase in stimming that just makes me sick to my stomach. *sigh*

I'd really appreciate ANY help at all. Thank you!

Serena

May 27, 2010

Irma, we do have an O/T, he does have sensory issues, but we just started with

this O/T (last place closed), and haven't spoken with her about doing anything

with regards to his feeding issues. She's here today, and I'll see if she has

anything to offer.

, his behavior is definitely not linked to behavior. He's always thrown

food, mostly to avoid having it in his hands. It's all about his displeasure for

the way that something feels, and never about attention. If I believed for a

second that he'd stop if I just ignored it, I'd ignore it.

>

> >

> > Hi there. My son is 2 1/2 and has always had texture related eating issues.

> > When we first tried baby foods, he would spit them out over and over again

> > until the pediatrician recommended just moving to finger foods when

> > was about 8 months old. We've been casein free because of test results for 4

> > months, and just went gluten free about 4 weeks ago. 's eating issues

> > (no pureed or slimy or cold foods) are compounded by a restrictive diet. He

> > doesn't try new things, so with each new restriction, it just cut down on

> > the foods he's eaten without adding anything new or healthy to his diet.

> >

> > So....here's my current dilemma. The only meats he was eating were

> > meatballs (which he just won't touch anymore unless it's to throw them on

> > the ground), and chicken nuggets (which we've been breading ourselves in

> > rice flour for 4 months). Besides the eggs in the morning, there's just no

> > other protein coming into his diet. So a couple of weeks ago, he started

> > picking pieces off of his already bite size pieces of eggs, and then

> > throwing the rest. He's down from about 2 eggs each morning to maybe 1/2 of

> > an egg....maybe. The chicken situation is worse. He's now just picking the

> > breading off of the chicken and then throwing the chicken itself. Once the

> > chicken has no breading, or even little breading, he won't touch it (except

> > to throw it). This diet is quickly becoming a rice/corn/soy diet, and I have

> > no idea what to do about it. I tried holding one of his hands while he ate

> > so that he couldn't peel pieces off of the chicken, and he just bit a piece

> > off of the breading, and then managed to shake the rest off with one hand. I

> > could sit him in the high chair all day, and he'd just cry and get down.

> >

> > I don't want to starve him until he gets desperate enough to eat again, but

> > I can't allow him to just keep eating a diet of corn, apples, gfcf cereals,

> > pancakes and french toast. Before going cf, he ate so many different foods,

> > but there's no going back with that one. His chicken and eggs have remained

> > constant for the past 4 1/2 months, and I just don't understand why he's

> > going to decide now to stop eating protein.

> >

> > Does anyone have any suggestions for getting a child with texture issues to

> > eat??

> >

> > Oh, and as a side note, his sensory issues are rapidly spinning out of

> > control, with an increase in stimming that just makes me sick to my stomach.

> > *sigh*

> >

> > I'd really appreciate ANY help at all. Thank you!

> > Serena

> >

>

May 27, 2010

More info. Sensory DefensivenessOral-motor defensiveness (tactile defensiveness within the mouth)

can cause distress with brushing teeth and dentist visits as well as intolerance

to textures or temperatures of food. Children with olfactory defensiveness

(intolerance to odors) may gag or be distressed with certain smells which other

persons don't notice or don't mind. One child I know could not tolerate going

into a deli with his mother because the odors made him feel sick.http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/fall97/sensory.htmABOUT BECKMAN ORAL MOTOR

INTERVENTIONhttp://www.beckmanoralmotor.com/about.htmOral Motor and Its Affect on Feeding Disorders

http://www.horizonsdrc.com/resources/oral-motor-and-its-affect-on-feeding-disordersMealtime and Children on the Autism Spectrum: Beyond Picky, Fussy, and Fads

http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/medical/mealtime.htmlGoogle oral motor activities, autism, picky eaters, etc.Irma

May 28, 2010

Serena,My son had a lot of food issues in the beginning. He had a sensory problem that caused him to overstuff his mouth with food (the ones he would eat), and I had to keep a close eye on him due to this. He had texture issues and self limited to gltuen and casein containing foods. We had an almost two year period where he just wasn't really gaining any weight.

I had to get him to try new foods by holding him in a bear hug and smearing things on his lips until he licked his lips. Sometimes he would gag, but eventually he was desensitized to a lot of things and now I can get him to " try " new things. He eats a variety of foods now, but we still have a big issue with good vegetables.

One thing that also helped a great deal was methocobalamin injections (B12). Not only can these help with methyl issues, and many children with autism need more B12 as they do not absorb enough. B12 is an appetite enhancer. It is used in the horse industry in horses to get them to gain weight. it has the same effect on people. The good thing in adults is that you have more energy, but the down side is most adults don't want to be hungrier.

But in our kids this can be a good thing to give him something to increase his appetite, and then this will help you to get him to be more inclined to eat the food rather than throw it around.My son was on the shots about a year and a half and then we noticed he was gaining too much weight and the shots were making him hyper, so we took him off of them. Now, thanks to the steroids he has to be on, he has gained too much weight.

This journey can be a bit of a roller coaster ride sometimes! I believe there are therapists out there who deal with these food issues. I just can't member what kind of therapists they are. Maybe someone on the list knows?

It has to do with desensitization to the texture, taste, etc.. of the foods.Some things you won't be able to change. Some sensory issues are with people for life, but with nutrition, you've got to do something.

I can usually get my son to eat a good vegetable if I make a sauce by adding a little fat (good fat like grape seed oil or avocado oil) and making a roux with Arrowroot flour and adding a safe gf/cf/sf milk like coconut or you could use organic chicken broth and then putting the vegetable int he sauce. You can season with Celtic sea salt or natural salt that still has the vital minerals in it. If he likes a little pepper you can use some organic, or if you are also watching oxalates, use white pepper.

I know this is tough. I don't miss those days. I had to work at it with him every day for a good while. has also given you good advice. A basic tenet of ABA is that you reward good behavior and ignore bad behavior. Even NT kids will act out to get negative attention if that is the only attention they can get.

Some doctors would say that when the child is hungry enough, they will eat, but I know first hand that with autism, our children do not absorb enough nutrients as it is, so we worry.

May 28, 2010

Thanks Haven. I don't want to have to go the force feeding route unless I

absolutely have to. He's VERY compliant, so if I hold his arms down (which he

hates, as any 2 year old would), and ask him to open his mouth, he will. He's

quite unhappy about it, but he will open his mouth, and even take a bite of

something. Of course, then he just spits it out. LOL Now, we're GF/CF, and I

have no intention of adding in the foods I know he'll eat, just to supplement

this crappy diet with even more crappy foods. It's just been such a bummer with

us needing to limit his foods and him deciding to limit the remaining foods.

He's been on the Methyl B-12 injections for a couple of months now. That's the

prescription that the moron nurse at Rao's office messed up. Whatever. He'd been

off of it for a couple of weeks, I guess, because I'd forgotten to call it in

when we got low, but he's been on it again for a couple of days now.

Ok, with behavior....this is definitely not an ignore the bad behavior and it'll

go away thing. couldn't care less how we feel about him throwing the

food. He does it when he's alone at his highchair. He does it while he's running

loose with cereal. It's not something he does for attention, so he won't be

swayed us ignoring him.....he doesn't know that we're paying attention to it in

the first place.

Unfortunately, the behavior (picking apart and throwing the food) is increasing

in frequency, and it's very possible that it's going to quickly turn into a bad

habit if we don't do anything about it. There are just too many issues at hand,

here for me to deal with it on my own. He's got the sensory issues causing him

to want the food out of his hand and away from his mouth. He's reluctant to try

new things (probably a combo of behavioral and sensory). He's self limiting the

diet he's had in place for months and is refusing to eat chicken &

fish.....foods he's eaten for a year and a half. I have no idea why he's doing

that, but as I said, my first priority is making sure that his diet is healthy

enough to sustain him. Then, I'd like to add in new, healthy foods. If we can

increase his variety, then I'd LOVE to try and remove soy and maybe eventually

corn. If, along the way, he stops throwing food, well then, Yeah Me!

I've got a call in to CARD. I'm going to make a phone call as soon as 's

ECI therapist is here, and is occupied. Hopefully, it will be a good

option for us.

Serena

>

> Serena,

>

> My son had a lot of food issues in the beginning. He had a sensory problem

> that caused him to overstuff his mouth with food (the ones he would eat),

> and I had to keep a close eye on him due to this. He had texture issues and

> self limited to gltuen and casein containing foods. We had an almost two

> year period where he just wasn't really gaining any weight.

>

> I had to get him to try new foods by holding him in a bear hug and smearing

> things on his lips until he licked his lips. Sometimes he would gag, but

> eventually he was desensitized to a lot of things and now I can get him to

> " try " new things. He eats a variety of foods now, but we still have a big

> issue with good vegetables.

>

> One thing that also helped a great deal was methocobalamin injections

> (B12). Not only can these help with methyl issues, and many children with

> autism need more B12 as they do not absorb enough. B12 is an appetite

> enhancer. It is used in the horse industry in horses to get them to gain

> weight. it has the same effect on people. The good thing in adults is that

> you have more energy, but the down side is most adults don't want to be

> hungrier.

>

> But in our kids this can be a good thing to give him something to increase

> his appetite, and then this will help you to get him to be more inclined to

> eat the food rather than throw it around.

>

> My son was on the shots about a year and a half and then we noticed he was

> gaining too much weight and the shots were making him hyper, so we took him

> off of them. Now, thanks to the steroids he has to be on, he has gained too

> much weight.

>

> This journey can be a bit of a roller coaster ride sometimes! I believe

> there are therapists out there who deal with these food issues. I just

> can't member what kind of therapists they are. Maybe someone on the list

> knows?

>

> It has to do with desensitization to the texture, taste, etc.. of the foods.

>

> Some things you won't be able to change. Some sensory issues are with

> people for life, but with nutrition, you've got to do something.

>

> I can usually get my son to eat a good vegetable if I make a sauce by adding

> a little fat (good fat like grape seed oil or avocado oil) and making a roux

> with Arrowroot flour and adding a safe gf/cf/sf milk like coconut or you

> could use organic chicken broth and then putting the vegetable int he

> sauce. You can season with Celtic sea salt or natural salt that still has

> the vital minerals in it. If he likes a little pepper you can use some

> organic, or if you are also watching oxalates, use white pepper.

>

> I know this is tough. I don't miss those days. I had to work at it with

> him every day for a good while.

>

> has also given you good advice. A basic tenet of ABA is that you

> reward good behavior and ignore bad behavior. Even NT kids will act out to

> get negative attention if that is the only attention they can get.

>

> Some doctors would say that when the child is hungry enough, they will eat,

> but I know first hand that with autism, our children do not absorb enough

> nutrients as it is, so we worry.

>

May 28, 2010

Serena,We see Dr. Rao, too. Boy, do I miss Sunny and !!!!The bear hug thing was what I did once we went gf/cf. A year later, my son's peptides were still high, so we removed soy protein. four days later, my son said his first sentence! Soy protein is very similar to casein.

What WILL your son eat that is gf/cf, or is he just not eating anything at all??? Have you tried Coconut milk yogurt, or are mushy foods an issue? Will he eat beans? My son loves beans, but I rotate foods as beans are high in oxalates, but beans are a good source of protein.

Have you ever tried parsnips? It is a good veggie, and you can cook them any way you cook potatoes. They look like white carrots. I cut them to look like shoestring potatoes and I even told my son the first time he tried them that they were " parsnip potatoes. " I make french fries out of them. I cut them, dredge them in a little tapioca flour, sprinkle a little salt and pepper and cook them in a good fat like grape seed oil or avocado oil. My son loves them. I also shred them and make " Parsnip potato pancakes. " You just shred them, season them, and mix an egg and a tablespoon of tapioca flour and cook them like potato pancakes.

Will your son eat grilled chicken? Then there is no coating to rip off. Will he eat anything that is baked? I'm just trying to give you ideas. I know at first my son at just pretty much gf/cf/sf chicken nuggets that I homemade and potatoes, which took some time to get away from. I know it is hard. Hang in there!

May 28, 2010

Haven,

Rao's office had a big staffing change right after we started there, and it

didn't surprise me that people would run screaming from that place. It's such a

shame, too, because I REALLY like Dr. Rao himself.

Ok, so we went CF mid January, and that restricted a LOT of foods ate

regularly. There really wasn't a choice, though. His peptides number for casein

should have been under .56, and it was 6.65. I had a milk allergy as a toddler,

and so did my 10 year old. I wasn't shocked that he had an issue with milk. He

loved cheese and bread, and mac n cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and

quesadillas, so it really removed a number of staples from his diet. Like I

said, I treated it as if he was a kid with peanut allergies...I mean, obviously,

he just can't have milk products.

So....because we had to change his chicken nuggets anyway (the kind he was

eating had milk in the batter), I decided at that point to start making them

with a rice flour/rice crumb breading. That way, when we were ready to go GF, we

wouldn't have to change the chicken (a regular staple of his for a year) again.

It took a couple of weeks, lots of distraction, and a couple of days of going

without lunch for him to eat the chicken but he's been eating it daily for lunch

for 4 months. It's only in the last two or three weeks that he's started pulling

the breading off and refusing to eat the chicken. He's doing the same with the

GF/CF fish sticks, which are new since going GF on May 1st. Still, there doesn't

seem to be any rhyme or reason to why he stopped eating the chicken.

As far as foods he WILL eat......he eats dried cereal (Kix, Corn Flakes & Rice

Chex), gf/cf cookies, gf/cf granola/cereal bars, scrambled eggs (but he's also

starting to refuse those, which he's eaten since 12 months). He eats two

vegetables - peas and corn. I have been putting carrots on his tray every lunch

and dinner, in hopes that eventually, he'll add those back in. He dropped those

about a year ago, I guess. He eats the gf/cf french toast and the gf/cf waffles

and pancakes (all frozen). He eats the Brothers All Natural freeze dried organic

apples and pears. Hmmm....I think that's it. Oh, and the breading off of the

chicken nuggets and fish sticks. LOL He only drinks water and breast milk,

although I'll be starting the weaning process in two weeks. Of course, then on

top of worrying about protein, I'll have to worry about calcium, etc. as well.

So fun!

He has yet to find a gf/cf pasta that he loves the texture of, so we're not

having luck with that. Before going gf, he ate pasta with red sauce, and he used

to eat meatballs too, but he just stopped eating them about 2 months ago. Once

or twice this month, he's eaten the tinkyada spaghetti with a gf/cf chicken

broth. I know...weird, but it was a last ditch effort after he continued to

boycott the Classico (which I MUCH prefer over the nasty ol' Prego Mike used to

use).

's not one to voluntarily eat something new, and he won't allow me to

feed him (he's always fed himself), so beyond just setting a food on the tray

and watching him ignore it or throw it, there's nothing I've been successful at

doing so far that would encourage him to try new foods. Our ABA consultant has a

plan with the carrots, so I'm interested to see how that all unfolds. I even

tried adding the veggie chips that they sell at Whole Foods that are made from

beets, etc., but he wouldn't have anything to do with them. I figured that maybe

since they were crunchy, but no dice.

I've heard your comments about soy protein before, as well as 's, and I'm

very interested in removing soy.......but.........NOT until I've got his current

issues under control. I cannot in good conscience continue to remove things from

his diet while he does the same. Pretty soon, he's going to be on an awesome

carb/carb diet. That ought to be great for him! *sigh* Oh, we're re-running the

peptides test next week, so it'll be interesting to see how his casein number

looks now that he hasn't had casein for months now. We're also re-running the

OAT test, although we had to wait for so long to get that stupid lab requisition

form that by now, 's yeast numbers are probably just as bad as when we

started because of all of the sugar in these stupid gf/cf snack foods. I just

don't get that. Why remove gluten and casein and then just fill the food up with

sugar?

Anyway, he doesn't eat anything pureed, slimy or cold....never has. Mac n cheese

was the only thing he ever broke that rule for, and boy did he love Spring Creek

mac n cheese. LOL

Well, this ended up being more of a rant, but hopefully, I answered all of your

questions.

Serena

>

> Serena,

>

> We see Dr. Rao, too. Boy, do I miss Sunny and !!!!

>

> The bear hug thing was what I did once we went gf/cf. A year later, my

> son's peptides were still high, so we removed soy protein. four days later,

> my son said his first sentence! Soy protein is very similar to casein.

>

> What WILL your son eat that is gf/cf, or is he just not eating anything at

> all??? Have you tried Coconut milk yogurt, or are mushy foods an issue?

> Will he eat beans? My son loves beans, but I rotate foods as beans are high

> in oxalates, but beans are a good source of protein.

>

> Have you ever tried parsnips? It is a good veggie, and you can cook them

> any way you cook potatoes. They look like white carrots. I cut them to

> look like shoestring potatoes and I even told my son the first time he tried

> them that they were " parsnip potatoes. " I make french fries out of them. I

> cut them, dredge them in a little tapioca flour, sprinkle a little salt and

> pepper and cook them in a good fat like grape seed oil or avocado oil. My

> son loves them. I also shred them and make " Parsnip potato pancakes. " You

> just shred them, season them, and mix an egg and a tablespoon of tapioca

> flour and cook them like potato pancakes.

>

> Will your son eat grilled chicken? Then there is no coating to rip off.

> Will he eat anything that is baked? I'm just trying to give you ideas. I

> know at first my son at just pretty much gf/cf/sf chicken nuggets that I

> homemade and potatoes, which took some time to get away from. I know it is

> hard. Hang in there!

>

May 28, 2010

Serena,Try not to be disheartened if the peptide levels are still high. My son was gf and cf for six months and then when we ran the test, the numbers were STILL high. they didn't come down until we removed soy too.

I know this diet is hard, especially when your child is having such food issues as yours is, but the results once you get it all out of his system can be phenomenal for some children. The results were for mine --the diet + metabolic supports brought our son back to us, so the diet is worth a try.

My son likes the tinkyada brand pasta's. he doesn't like Italian sauce, which breaks my heart since I am half Sicilian decent and grew up around a lot of great Italian cooks. My son eats his pasta with some vegetable juice or Untomato vegetable juice, and I mix in just a little organic potato flakes from Shiloh Farms to thicken it. He also likes the CHREEESE brand of mac and cheese. You can buy the seasonings in cheddar and Alfredo styles, and we use this and make our own.

Of course, you are dealing with so much now. It would be crazy to think of removing soy at this point. I removed casein and then waited three months and removed gluten and then waited six months before I found out I needed to remove soy too. Don't overwhelm yourself; you'll burn out and go crazy. You are doing the best you can. That is all anyone can do.

Yes, I think the world of Dr. Rao, but the changes have made things really different. My son is high is lead again and is going to need to be chelated again. I am not looking forward to this. He has deep veins and it is always SO HARD to find a vein, even just to do blood work.

I just wish none of our kids had had to go through any of this. It is so unfair!

May 28, 2010

Hi Serena...I think you are lucky because your child clearly will do well once

you resolve the feeding issues. I know it's insanely tough. But from what

you write it's pretty clear that he has a sick gut. I think even back to him

trying babyfood we are looking at gut dysbiosis more than texture issues. I

realize I'm not there. But I lived this in my home.

My son was so tough this is exactly why I realized that diet would be a very big

part of his recovery.

As long as your child is getting his fix he'll continue to feed parasites,

bacteria, and yeasts. He's trying to feel good and self limiting.

How I did this was I was in charge of food period. I no longer served anything

that was feeding the problem. So french toast, and cereals were no longer

available. I cleaned out our pantry/fridge. Nothing was left to be found.

The closest thing we had that resembled a grain was quinoa seeds. I had to

soak/sprout them...and then turn them into something.

I had to take my son down to vegetables, good fats, proteins, cultured foods,

green drinks, and soaked sprouted quinoa/millet. No fruits, no sugars.

Actually we even took the quinoa/millet away for a time. This combined with

more biomedical treatments turned it around for my son. We had to be very

strict for a few years....but he healed and is now recovered.

It was a full time grueling job. When my son threw food on the floor we gave

it no attention. He'd spill his green drink and I'd simply get up and pour

more. If I ran out...he'd stay strapped in crying or not....and Mommy whipped

up more. He never won....I mean it was clear in our house that Mommy is in

charge. I was joyful, and celebrated each step....but very firm. When he

made a mess, my hand over his hand cleaned it up. He learned that throwing

means work on his part. I gave it little attention really, other than the

natural consequence.

I'm sorry to say, but the corn and soy have to go. Some kids are lucky and can

do a GFCF diet and get well....however I don't know any. I think any kid who

doesn't get well.....needs MORE dietary changes...rather than stopping.

CARD will help you, but then you'll need to understand what to take away and

what to add. It's a darn vicous cycle and even something like rice or fruit

can keep him on a hamster wheel.

Step by step I taught my son how to take new bites. Then he got his old

favorites. If your son like french toast....he can have it after he tries one

tiny new bite of a new food. As soon as he takes it...say a steamed carrot

piece....then celebrate and be done with it. Day by day he needs to learn that

he isn't getting his junk until he tries a new food. Then eventually when you

have him trusting you, trying new foods....you'll fade the junk out.

You could bring him to the table every hour...or every 2 hours. Try the new

food or not...but no junk food until he tries. Then water until the next

session. It may be a few weeks of crying....but in the long run autism is

harder. You can't force him, but you can stop buying and giving him foods that

are harming him. Remember you have done nothing wrong....his gut is sick.

Every kid in america eats crap too, but for our kids we have to get on top of

this. You are so lucky he's 2.5. This is when I turned things around for my

son too. It was a nightmare, very hard....very scary. Yes he starved for a

period....but what was my choice? Raising a kid on raisins? My son was an

addict. The early people said he too had sensory issues...this is all they

understand. They don't understand autism from a biomedical point of view. 70%

of the immune system is in the intestines. Clean up the gut....you'll

stengthen the immune system...and beat this vicious situation.

I like Biocidin for the gut too. If we had stayed on GFCF, we would have had a

chubby kid whose autism was less for a time, but likely to regress again. It

took Body Ecology to turn it all around. You teach a kid to do Body

Ecology....you can teach them to do all the other biomed stuff..the discipline

is laid. From Hbot, to B12 shots, to netti pots, enemas, and swallowing

supplements. Getting a kid to try new foods will lay the foundation for all

that is needed to be well.

I learned how to make millet zuchini waffles. Noone in my town would eat them.

These became my kids favorites and still are. When sugar is gone, a millet

waffle looks mighty good. Eventually to get that millet waffle my kids had to

drink their green smoothie and some cultured vegetables, then they get the

millet waffle. This goes all the way back to strapping them into the booster

and trying that first bite of steamed carrot.....oh the drama, the horror, the

screaming. But I never gave in.

All the best

>

> Hi there. My son is 2 1/2 and has always had texture related eating issues.

When we first tried baby foods, he would spit them out over and over again until

the pediatrician recommended just moving to finger foods when was about

8 months old. We've been casein free because of test results for 4 months, and

just went gluten free about 4 weeks ago. 's eating issues (no pureed or

slimy or cold foods) are compounded by a restrictive diet. He doesn't try new

things, so with each new restriction, it just cut down on the foods he's eaten

without adding anything new or healthy to his diet.

>

> So....here's my current dilemma. The only meats he was eating were meatballs

(which he just won't touch anymore unless it's to throw them on the ground), and

chicken nuggets (which we've been breading ourselves in rice flour for 4

months). Besides the eggs in the morning, there's just no other protein coming

into his diet. So a couple of weeks ago, he started picking pieces off of his

already bite size pieces of eggs, and then throwing the rest. He's down from

about 2 eggs each morning to maybe 1/2 of an egg....maybe. The chicken situation

is worse. He's now just picking the breading off of the chicken and then

throwing the chicken itself. Once the chicken has no breading, or even little

breading, he won't touch it (except to throw it). This diet is quickly becoming

a rice/corn/soy diet, and I have no idea what to do about it. I tried holding

one of his hands while he ate so that he couldn't peel pieces off of the

chicken, and he just bit a piece off of the breading, and then managed to shake

the rest off with one hand. I could sit him in the high chair all day, and he'd

just cry and get down.

>

> I don't want to starve him until he gets desperate enough to eat again, but I

can't allow him to just keep eating a diet of corn, apples, gfcf cereals,

pancakes and french toast. Before going cf, he ate so many different foods, but

there's no going back with that one. His chicken and eggs have remained constant

for the past 4 1/2 months, and I just don't understand why he's going to decide

now to stop eating protein.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions for getting a child with texture issues to

eat??

>

> Oh, and as a side note, his sensory issues are rapidly spinning out of

control, with an increase in stimming that just makes me sick to my stomach.

*sigh*

>

> I'd really appreciate ANY help at all. Thank you!

> Serena

>

May 29, 2010

I understand what you're saying, ....and I believe that what you're doing

could be very helpful with our son. I only have one question. How would you

suggest that I barter with my non verbal child? How do I make him understand

that if he takes one bite of this, he can have one bite of that, when his

expressive skills are nil, and his receptive skills....well, let's just say that

I fell like Charlie Brown's parents, with their wawawawawa most of the time.

Serena

> >

> > Hi there. My son is 2 1/2 and has always had texture related eating issues.

When we first tried baby foods, he would spit them out over and over again until

the pediatrician recommended just moving to finger foods when was about

8 months old. We've been casein free because of test results for 4 months, and

just went gluten free about 4 weeks ago. 's eating issues (no pureed or

slimy or cold foods) are compounded by a restrictive diet. He doesn't try new

things, so with each new restriction, it just cut down on the foods he's eaten

without adding anything new or healthy to his diet.

> >

> > So....here's my current dilemma. The only meats he was eating were meatballs