it is afterall time for awareness, yes?
so i’ve been thinking about this food issue gage has… see there’s very little he eats. not uncommon in autistic children, actually.
the primary “culprit” i guess seems to be texture. there are of course other things that it could be but texture seems to be the big one, the main cause in most cases for picky eaters. i wonder if that’s the case with gage…maybe i should make a log of the foods he eats at home over the course of a week and compare the textures.
there’s also a taste thing. apparently many autistic children will only eat foods from 1 of the 4 groupings that tastebuds focus on. not sure that’s the case. he seems to love sweet and salty and sometimes sour… not sure about the bitter.
this is an interesting technique for introducing new foods:
Desensitization is a behavioral technique that can work well with introducing new foods. Its gradual introduction can help the child to become desensitized to the smell, look and texture of an unfamiliar food. First, try a food that has the best chance of suiting your child’s preferences. It may just sit on a plate near theirs for several nights. The next few dinners, it may be placed on their plate but with no expectation made of the child to eat it. Next, the family may try the new food and show their enjoyment. With gradual introduction with no negative effects may allow the child to eventually try the new food.
i was thinking about something like that earlier… he’s on a spaghetti (angel hair) kick lately. he wants it everyday… with a little parmesan cheese. this afternoon i was cooking the pasta for him and i thought “i should add some lima beans or something to this and see what he’d do.” although i do think it’s important for him to see us enjoying whatever it is we’re introducing him to… and i’m not sure how i’d feel about spaghetti with limas and parmesan…
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