🍽️ Food
When they eat very few foods
They used to eat everything, and today trying something new is a huge achievement. Why it happens, what helps at home and when to get help.
Why does it happen?
Eating very few foods is very common in autism. It isn’t being picky or a lack of discipline: there’s almost always a reason.
The senses
A texture, a smell, a color or a temperature can be unbearable for them. That’s why sometimes they’ll only accept food of a certain brand, color or consistency.
Wanting everything the same
The familiar makes them feel safe. A new dish, or the same dish served differently, can scare them.
Something bothers them
Constipation, reflux, tooth pain or a sore throat can make them eat less. If they can’t say it, it shows in how they eat. It needs to be checked by their doctor.
Chewing and swallowing
Some children have trouble with their mouth: chewing, moving their tongue, swallowing. A speech or occupational therapist can evaluate it.
What helps at home
No fighting, no forcing, and lots of patience. Changes in eating are measured in weeks and months, not days.
Always something safe
At every meal, include at least one food they do eat. That way the table doesn’t become a scary place.
Mini portions
The new food, in a tiny piece and on a separate plate. One pea is less scary than a full plate.
Many times, no pressure
A new food may need to be on the table many times before they dare to touch it. Just having it there is progress.
Celebrate every step
Looking at it, touching it, smelling it, licking it or biting it and spitting it out all count. Use “The tasting ladder”.
Bridge foods
Go from what they already eat to something similar: from their usual chips to another brand, then to homemade fries. Tiny changes, one at a time.
Let them take part
Let them help you wash, stir or pick things at the grocery store. Touching food without having to eat it helps a lot.
Let them see you eat
Eat the same thing yourself, calmly, without saying anything. Children learn by watching.
Routine
Same place, similar times and few distractions. Tell them what’s going to happen: “first eat, then park”.
No fighting or forcing
Forcing, scolding or “you don’t get up until you finish” usually makes them refuse more. Food shouldn’t be a punishment or a reward.
What you can do
- Measure them every 3 to 6 months: what matters is that they follow their own line.
- Take the results to their pediatrician.
- See a doctor soon if they lose weight or accept fewer and fewer foods.
Read what it says
Matti eats very few foods. And we always wonder… is he growing well? That’s why we made a free calculator, with the WHO charts. You enter their weight and height, and it tells you whether they’re within the expected range for their age. Take the results to their pediatrician, and talk it over with data.
And if they eat so little?
Are they growing well?
If they eat very few foods, check their weight and height with our growth calculator and take the result to their pediatrician.
The videos are narrated in Spanish, with subtitles; the English transcript is under each one. You can download them and send them on WhatsApp.
Get help soon if…
- They lose weight, aren’t growing or seem to have no energy.
- They accept very few foods, for example fewer than 20, and the list keeps getting shorter.
- They often gag, vomit or choke when eating.
- They stop eating foods they used to eat and don’t accept them again.
- They have constipation, stomach pain or seem uncomfortable when eating.
Who can help?
- Their pediatrician: to check weight and height and rule out constipation, reflux or pain. Beforehand, you can check their curve with our growth calculator.
- A pediatric dietitian: to make sure they don’t miss anything, using what they do eat.
- Feeding therapy: given by occupational or speech therapists with experience in children who eat very little.
- In Guadalupe, Nuevo León, the city DIF (family welfare agency) offers support for selective eating. See the directory.
Be careful with diets that promise to “improve autism”. Check Watch out for… and don’t cut out food groups without medical advice.
What’s next?
Are they growing well?
Weight and height calculator with the WHO charts, and what to watch if they eat very few foods.
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