"Food School"
By Raven7317
@Raven7317 (691)
United States
November 7, 2012 1:13pm CST
My 7 YO son has extreme anxiety over food... this has been going on for years, but it just got to be too much for me to handle and he has started, what he calls, Food School!
For several years, we've struggled with this issue and I finally found an OT who specializes in eating/swallowing disorders. He literally has to be taught how to overcome his mixed up thoughts about food.
The whole issue is not eating, but in the deviation from what he's comfortable with. For example, we all know all little kids love chicken nuggets and fries... my son will eat ONLY nuggets, not strips, not patties, not popcorn, not baked, fried, grilled or otherwise. If it's not a NUGGET, he won't eat it.
It took us months to get him to eat a french fry that wasn't a shoe-string, but was crinkled!
We are both in therapy for this now, because he needs help, I need help, and we have to get thru this together...
Anyone had to deal with anything like this?? Any thoughts/suggestions??
1 response
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
7 Nov 12
I do not have any experiences with this type of thing, but I know my cousin has a 5 year old with Autism who is VERY picky about his food. He just flat out refuses to eat just about everything. It is a texture thing with him though I believe. I know until he was about 3 baby food was really all he would eat and he refused juice of any kind.
@Raven7317 (691)
• United States
7 Nov 12
Hi Lilybug, thanks for the response... Yeah, we think it's a texture thing with my son too... he's been tested and evaluated up and down, there's nothing wrong with him! Physically, anyway... anxiety is all in the head, so we just have to work him thru it... I tell ya, though, it's very stressful on the parents too... We always have to feed him very specific stuff, or if we're out, we have to consider if there will be anything there for him to eat, or we have to feed him first... and don't get me started on the long school and/or camp days when he's away from me and I know he's not eating! ARGGHH! LOL thanks for listening.
