Most moms cringe when they hear their child utter those few words each and every night. Those infamous and dreaded words can bring complete chaos in any home, especially when children with Asperger Syndrome are involved. The reason for that is because most AS kids have a very restricted diet and only eat a few different kinds of food due to their sensitivity to the taste and texture of food. Fussy doesn’t describe our kids and explaining their perception of taste and texture to others who say our kids are spoiled or manipulative is waaaay beyond their comprehension. Family, friends, etc. think this is a simple behavior problem and love to ridicule our parenting skills saying the child is being deliberately defiant, but we know from experience this isn’t the case. It is a serious problem that parents of AS children face day in and day out, hoping that the food sensitivity will gradually diminish (which in our case it is slowly getting better) and they will try and enjoy new foods.
My son has to eat foods at room temperature, in a certain order, and presented in the same way (that even includes certain plates, bowls, cups, etc.). Maddening, yes, but over the years I have gotten used to it and I have developed a strategy that seems to work for us.
I have a weekly menu posted on the refrigerator so my son can read it and know what we are having and what to expect. Heaven forbid if I defer from the schedule, but that is another story all together. Usually the menu is the same for a lot of the days, but I also throw in a couple that introduce new foods or something he doesn’t like and he has the option of fixing himself something else which usually consists of French Bread pizza.
Monday- hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, green beans
Tuesday- leftovers (food is specified)
Wednesday- hot dogs, baked beans
Thursday- pizza
Friday- Mexican Night (food is specified)
Saturday- something new (usually chicken since hubby is on a diet and he is usually home on weekends)
Sunday- crock pot (food is specified)
*Make a weekly menu and post it on your refrigerator. Use words and/or pictures to let your child know exactly what he/she will be having.
So what’s for dinner at your house?
8 comments:
Here it must be in a green bowl or on a green plate. Heaven forbid I should use the blue plate! At lunch the sandwich must be on the left and the cookies must be in a straight line on the right. If this isn't as such Bug will not eat. He will scream, he will cry, he will howl, but he will not eat. Sandwich is always PB&J. He will not eat any other kinds. Raspberry jelly. I tried strawberry once and he flipped out and didn't eat lunch for nearly two weeks.
Breakfast is always oatmeal. He won't eat eggs unless it is Saturday. Apparently eggs are not to be consumed any other day.
Dinner is hard. He will eat lemon chicken and rice..getting him to eat anything else is a struggle. I will tell him what we are having for dinner and if the words "lemon" and "chicken" do not appear he generally won't try it. We have had one triumph in the past couple of weeks. I made fettuccine alfredo and at first he looked at me like I was insane but after a few minutes he asked to try it. I gave him a bite and then he gobbled up half my plate. Now he wants lemon chicken and fettuccine alfredo! LOL!!!
He won't even eat pizza! If I get him a happy meal he will nibble on french fries but won't eat anything else. The only snacks he will consume are apple nutri grain bars (only apple!) and string cheese, and goldfish crackers.
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
MONK has to have his green (his favorite color) bowl too for macaroni and cheese. When he was little he refused to eat meat for 6 months!!!! Slowly things have gotten better over the years and he will try new foods and some he likes. I'm so glad things are different now and we are not on that rollar coaster ride any longer. :) When we went on a cruise to Alaska last summer he tried everything and some things he really enjoyed.
Do you keep the same weekly menu every week? Picture menus are a great idea.
Does this menu thing work with husbands?!?!
CC-
The menu changes a bit from week to week, but it is always posted on the refrigerator. When MONK sets the table he also knows what things he should put out as well. :)
Julie-
It works with my hubby! LOL!
What a great idea! Our twins have a reasonable range of things they will eat (albeit with some quirks there) but Bitty is the one we really struggle with just getting him to eat anything at all. He has a very limited list of things he will eat, except when he won't eat those either. Maybe if we plan it out with a visual menu so he knows what's coming we might have better luck - will give that a try. Thanks!
lonestar-
I hope it works for you. :)
As an added bonus, posting a visual menu lets my son know how he should set the table for that night too. LOL!
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