Starve Io
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Approximately two-thirds of children on the autistic spectrum have severe food aversions which can impact their growth and development. While this population of children often has feeding aversions it is in no way limited to them.
starve io
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Children with medical conditions that have caused pain when eating often have severe food aversions as do children with sensory integration dysfunction. Children with oral motor impairments may also have a severe fear of eating due to their inability to move food around in their mouth and safely chew and swallow.
As a feeding therapist who has worked with many children with severe food aversions it is scary to me to read information with no disclaimer that says children will eat when they are hungry and they will not starve themselves .
One of the characteristics of a resistant eater is the limited acceptance of food items. This is often the same with picky eaters but more pronounced and severe in the resistant eater. I have seen children with as few as 2 different foods in their repertoire. Often these children will start with more foods and begin to eliminate them over time.
They may suddenly eliminate a favorite food or bring back an old favorite. These children are also very aware of imperfections in foods, even their favorites such as dark spots, cracks, bumps etc. Some children will also eliminate whole food groups such as fruit and vegetables, or meats. However some resistant eaters will only eat from one food group they have chosen which is often carbohydrates, but can even be meat.
Children with oral motor impairments may only accept pureed foods that do not require chewing. These types of behaviors cause fear and frustration in parents and caregivers. It also causes judgment from extended family members and friends who have never dealt with a resistant eater.
Children who are resistant eaters may also gag and/or vomit when presented with new or disliked food. They may also exhibit extreme behavioral reactions which impacts everyone around them. For these children and their families any situation which food is involved can be scary causing avoidance and isolation.
Just like picky eating, problem eating can be improved. However, the process is more complicated, ongoing and most often requires professional intervention with a feeding therapist. Children with severe food aversions will likely struggle with these aversions through adulthood.
However they can become healthier eaters with guidance. When parents begin to see early signs of picky eating and food aversions there are tips that will keep the problem from growing larger and out of hand. Often the best of intentions can unknowingly make a problem worse.
As I have said before, feeding disorders are all consuming to everyone involved. For those of you who have not had the experience of having a child with a feeding disorder, be supportive to those families you may come across in the future.
Hello! I have an adopted child who refuses to eat anything but bologna or hot dogs. Any attempt to introduce fruits and vegetables or more nutritious food, even a bite, is refused and a temper tantrum ensues.
I firmly believe that he would starve himself to death if he had only nutritious food to eat.
Do you know the right kind of food therapist we could contact in San Antonio, Texas.
Thank you!
Stephanie
Patrick,
I am sorry I do not have a list of feeding therapists in the Dallas Fort Worth area. I would suggest calling the local hospitals. Quite often they have feeding clinics and therapists with feeding experience.
Angela,
For a list of therapists in your area you can contact ASHA. That is the American Speech and Hearing Association. You can also contact the local hospitals. They usually have therapy teams and are likely to have someone with experience with feeding.
My son is a resistant eater and is getting worse and worse. I am so stressed over his lack of nutrition. I am worried about taking him for therapy because he is very, very smart and if he knows that this is about his eating, he will refuse to participate. I also worry about spending large amounts of time and money and getting no benefit from the therapy. What is the success rate for children who are given this sort of therapy?
SJ,
Each program and therapist has a different success rate. I would talk to some of the hospitals in your area and look in to a feeding clinic or have them recommend a therapist or team of therapists who specialize in feeding. When I contact them I would ask then their success rates.
After reading your articles, I have determined my four year old son is a resistant eater. Like, everyone else we have tried everything. We feel isolated from family and social gatherings, due to the fact that we do not want to face the ridicule and judgement from others. I am so frustrated and do not want to take it out on my child, but being a single parent and dealing with something like this wears you pretty thin. Finding you gave me hope that there is a solution for this problem. I just do not know what to do next, should I send him to a therapist, or look for something more eating specific? Thank you for ANY advice you can offer.
Rossana,
For a list of therapists in your area you can contact ASHA. That is the American Speech and Hearing Association. You may find someone who specializes in feeding. You can also contact the local hospitals. They usually have therapy teams and are likely to have someone with experience with feeding.
Jennifer,
I am sorry for my delay in responding. I definitely would recommend looking into an evaluation with a speech language pathologist. You can look into the local hospital as well as ASHA which is the American Speech and Hearing Association. They have a data base of local Speech Language Pathologists.
Heather,
I feel that it is never too late. The SOS program is great. The most important thing is to find a therapist who knows what she is doing and also one who you feel a good connection with. The right therapist for one child might not be the right therapist for another. Each child is different and I feel very strongly about this especially when it comes to something as sensitive as eating.
Jennifer D.,
Sorry for the delay in responding. There is always hope for change. There are several types of professionals who work with children with eating issues. The 3 most common include Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Psychologists. The most important thing is finding someone who you and your son are comfortable with and has experience with problem eaters.
Hi Paulina,
Feeding disorders are very complex and there are no easy answers. I would not feel comfortable telling you what to do without seeing your son or talking to you further. In my opinion there is always a strong behavioral component to every feeding disorder. I often give parents the advice to give back control to their children when it comes to eating and what we usually see is an immediate decrease in food intake. However over time the amount of food the child will eat increases.
Dear Isa,
My grandson was diagnosed at 7 months with failure to thrive. He was not taking the breast so was put on the bottle but would not eat enough. He had a NGT inserted at around 10 months. After the tube was inserted he would only feed himself finger foods but it was never enough to sustain the caloric intake that he needed. He then started therapy at 11 months. I do feel the therapy has worked at helping him take food from the spoon so we can give him more calories but we feel he has almost plateaued and regressed as far as finger food is concerned. He gags and throws up when given the finger foods. His throwing up also dislodges the NGT. His parents are at their wits end. What are your thoughts? He goes to Nemours at Dupont hospital in Delaware. Any suggestions.
Susan,
Some Speech Language Pathologists specialize in feeding. Many do not. I know of 2 clinics in GA however I am not sure if they are near you or not. They are Building Blocks Pediatrics and Happy Hungry Hippos Pediatric Feeding Clinic. I do not have specific information on these clinics as they are on a list I have of clinics around the country.
desperatemum,
Unfortunately I do not know of any feeding clinics in Nigeria. There are many great feeding books on the market and I would recommend reading all you can. I would also be willing to do a phone consult if you were interested just to get you going in the right direction.
I believe my 6 year old daughter is a problem eater, complicated by prematurity, early oral motor feeding problems, food allergies, texture and sensory issues, moderate EE (eosinophilic esophighitis) and anxiety surrounding eating, particularly at the family table or with peers at school. She had numerous issues as a result of her prematurity (30 weeks) and as first time parents, we misinterpreted her behavior at the table, playing with food, refusal to eat and selectivity as a behavior issue. Out of my own concern for her health and dietary intake, I constantly put pressure on her to eat. As you can imagine, it took the original problem and created a monster problem. She now tells me that food makes her sad and every time food is involved, she gets in trouble. So not only does she have physical and sensory issues with food, but she relates food and eating a meal as something unpleasant.
Any suggestions on how or where to start? I believe her issues are anxiety driven and we need to change her understanding of food, create a happy environment without pressure. But in the meantime, I still have a child who chooses not to eat and whose school day is greatly impacted by lack of food, energy and nutrition. How do we get from point A to point B safely.We live in Albany, NY (3 hours east of NYC).
Marlene,
An NG tube is very uncomfortable and will often make a child gag and vomit. I am not surprised to hear this. Has there been any discussion of a G-tube? Without knowing all the details it is difficult for me to make any specific recommendations.