I saw this meme the other day and couldn’t help have a chuckle. I am sure you can relate!

Let’s face it- you have tried everything under the sun to get your child to move away from their safe foods but nothing is working and you have quite literally almost given up thinking you will be making the same beige dinner for your child every night for the rest of eternity. While no ASD individual is alike, research suggests that between 50% and 89% of kids with autism have some food selectivity. So if your child is considered a ‘picky’ eater you most certainly aren’t alone. So what’s the WHY behind this? Please note that every child is different- I am simply mentioning a few reasons why- this does not mean every child on the spectrum will have these tendencies. Some might have more than one while others might only have one. You get the point.

To start with let’s take a moment to be in their shoes. Think about ALL your senses being at an all time high. Yes, every one of them being so overpowering. This naturally makes food an overwhelming experience. If you were presented with a bag of cookies vs a banana you will 99% choose the bag of cookies every single time. Why? because of consistency. The texture, colour, taste & feel is the EXACT SAME EVERY TIME. A banana? Not so much! A few other reasons why include:

• The tendency to like routine & predictability. So change in food is tough to accept.
• Oral motor development deficits.
• Anxiety issues.
• Stomach/ Gastrointestinal issues.

‘Picky’ eating or food selectivity in autism is often mistaken for ARFID- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. ARFID the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines ARFID as a feeding or eating disturbance characterized by avoidance or restriction of food intake and clinically significant failure to meet requirements for nutrition through oral food intake (2013). Those with this condition undergo weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, dependence on oral nutritional supplements or enteral feeding or significant interference with psychosocial functioning. Due to the food available in social situations, people with ARFID may find social situations extremely challenging. Additionally, they may say that they are not hungry and often forget to eat. “Picky” eaters are usually hungry and interested in eating certain( very specific) types of food. Furthermore, their preferences do not make them anxious about social events. 

As a result of the marked nutritional deficiencies, ARFID requires a more intensive approach. Treatment includes:

• Family-based therapy.
• Professional help from registered dietitian nutritionists, occupational therapists, developmental pediatricians, gastroenterologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and adolescent health physicians.

SO how can we get your child to try more foods and essentially move away from ‘picky’ eating as much as possible?

• Parental or therapist modelling. This entails demonstrating and showing your child over and over again. Model the preferred behaviour as much as possible for every meal time.
• Start small. As in really small. Start with touching then licking then biting then swallowing. This is a process. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
• Repeated exposure to unwanted food. Your child still hasn’t touched that apple for months?? Continue putting it on their plate- coupled with the techniques listed they will eventually be open to trying it.
• Encourage messy play eating. Children learn best through play. Encourage, be involved and open to messy play.
• Take the pressure off. Completely.
• Allow hunger to motivate eating.
• Offer choices.

Every child is different, every child has different needs, every child will have different strategies that will work. However, we want to start with a strong foundation to identify the possible issues. This starts with data. For a few days track when, what and how your child is eating, the possible triggers, behaviours that arise etc. Once you have this you have a solid baseline to show any health professionals/ therapists that you might seek help from. Overcoming ‘picky’ eating has it’s challenges but with consistency & patience your child can and will diversify their eating habits.