Home » Health & Wellness » Asperger's/Autism » Asperger's Syndrome and Food

Asperger's Syndrome and Food

© Barbara Fowler

This may seem like a funny subject for an article but the fact is that children with Asperger's Syndrome seem to have great difficulty with food. I thought my son was the only "picky eater" but in talking with other parents, I have found that I am not alone in my frustration with my child's diet.

When my son was a baby, he had definite likes and dislikes depending upon the texture of the food. To this day, he will not eat anything that has the consistency of baby food, like cream of mushroom soup. The thickest thing that he will eat is a banana milkshake, flavoured with vanilla and honey.

The appearance of the food on the plate is a big issue at our house. Food mixed together, like stew, shepherds pie, steak and kidney pie or spaghetti sauce are all inedible to my son. I suspect it's because he cannot really see exactly what he is eating.

Part of the problem with food is the sensory issue. Some children do not like the texture, taste or smell of the food in front of them. This makes it rather difficult to feed them a healthy diet. When my son was around 4 years old, I used to make cookies with bits of green beans, chopped up carrots and peas in them. He ate them until someone (not me!) introduced him to chocolate chip cookies. I tried juicing vegetables and pouring them down his throat but he really hated the taste! One year I tried those tins of supplemental liquid foods and he couldn't even get through the first tin, let alone the rest of the dozen I had purchased.

Food jags are a big issue as well. My son will want to eat the same thing for days at a time and then he won't eat that item again for a long time. Xmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are big turkey meals for our family and since my son loves turkey, that's the only thing he will eat long after the supply of turkey has run out! A food jag is not hard to accomodate when the favoured item is a plate of crackers, cheese and apple but when it's constantly chocolate cake you have to find a way to switch the food jag off.

Other parents have told me that I am not alone in my struggle with my son and this is all part and parcel of Asperger's Syndrome. I have heard about children who will only eat pink food - making it necessary for the parent to use food colouring, or children who will eat only fruit, no vegetables. It's a wonder that some of these children ever grow up!

The copyright of the article Asperger's Syndrome and Food in Asperger's/Autism is owned by . Permission to republish Asperger's Syndrome and Food in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.