It is unlikely that each tip will help everyone facing these issues, but hopefully some of them will prove useful.
Sensory issues
• Don’t put too many colours on the plate – visually this can be overwhelming. This doesn’t mean serving bland food, but may be add one thing to the plate at a time, over a period of time, introducing more colour to the plate gradually. Try new foods one at a time, in small amounts, and on a separate plate – the concept of building things up slowly is very important when it comes to food issues. Whether it is somebody with autism trying to broaden their own diet, or parents trying to help their children to eat more healthily, it is best to try new foods slowly, just a little bit at a time. Perhaps putting a small amount of the new food on a separate plate can be helpful instead of just going straight in to a full meal of unknown food.
• Build up gradually to strong tasting food – continuing with the theme of building-up slowly, if a food has a particularly strong taste it may take even longer than normal to build up to. Perhaps somebody with autism may take a week or two of building up to decide whether they like something or not, but if it was for example a hot curry, it may take longer to get used to the taste.
Routine
• Build up slowly to being more flexible with routine – there is no point simply trying to change a routine without any kind of preparation. It is only going to lead to problems. When changing a routine that has already been established it is important to do so over a period of time – don’t change too much too soon. For example, if set mealtimes are creating difficulties, build in flexibility gradually.
• Scripts, Signs & Sketches* – The use of Scripts (a description of what the issue is, and what can be done about it) Signs (a visual aid to communication) and Sketches (a series of illustrations explaining the issues) can be very helpful in this situation (see below to learn more about Scripts, Signs & Sketches) They help the autistic person to be able to communicate their feelings and emotions, and also provide a strong visual aid for learning. These can be useful for autistic people of any age. They can help with breaking routines, for example, becoming more flexible about meal times.
Anxiety
• Talk about it. – Problems never get addressed unless they are brought out in to the open and discussed. It can be difficult to discuss anxiety issues, but often simply by acknowledging them they can seem easier to deal with, and be put in to some kind of perspective.
• Work around understanding feelings – understanding feelings is not easy for people with autism. But a lot of the work when it comes to anxiety issues needs to be around the feelings those anxieties can provoke, and also the feelings that might lead up to them. There are many different ways to do this and there is not the space to discuss them here, but one option is the Scripts, Signs and Sketches mentioned above.
• The person with autism can take their own food – when going round to somebody else’s house it might be worth the person with autism taking their own food. This might seem rude at first, but if it is explained to the host that having to eat different meals at different times can create anxiety for the autistic individual, it should be fine. It means they don’t have to worry about having to eat something they don’t like, and can also reduce their stress meaning that they can enjoy their visit.
• Don’t feel obliged to eat out – people eat out because they enjoy it, not because it`s a necessity. If somebody doesn’t enjoy eating out and finds it anxiety inducing then there is no need for them to do so. They might wish to, if they are going on a date or wish to go out with their friends, but it`s rarely essential.
• Don’t put pressure on person to eat larger portions, or different foods – this tip is more for the families of people who have autism – of course if somebody only eats unhealthy food it`s important that they find a way to broaden their diet, but putting pressure on them will only increase their stress levels. Likewise, if somebody is autistic, and wants to change the way they eat, they won’t do so by making themselves feel even more stressed and anxious.
• Try not to show anxiety in front of a child – if parents are concerned about a child who has food issues then they should try their best not to transmit their anxiety to their child. They may try to implement some of the tips themselves, or if the child is older, they might explain what the issue is in a simple and calm way, but again, making the child overly anxious won’t help anything.
Gut problems
• Seek medical advice – obviously this only applies if the person in question has gut issues. This could be something like coeliac disease or a wheat allergy/intolerance. And it is important to know exactly what kind of issues the person has before anything is done. There is no point self- diagnosing.
• Unable to articulate – the person with autism may be unable to articulate negative effects that some foods have on them, so look out for things such as a swollen or painful stomach, acid indigestion, or acid reflux, nausea, and headaches. The autistic individual may appear to be a fussy eater, but it may be that the food is in fact making them ill. If the autistic person isn`t able to communicate what they are feeling, then this may come out in other ways such as being picky with food, food refusal or even meltdowns. So seeking medical advice could provide the answers to a lot of questions.
Like everything related to autism, issues around food can come in many forms. But there are also many different solutions. Just because something is a problem doesn’t mean it is insurmountable. Somebody with autism might never be able to have a so-called `normal` diet, either due to medical issues or because they can`t handle the sensory impact of some foods. But this doesn’t have to be a problem. Certain diets, for example somebody who will only eat chocolate are not sustainable, but in most cases there are ways around whatever problems may arise. They might not be instantaneous or easy, but eventually the solutions may be effective.
*Scripts, Signs & Sketches are techniques created by my Mum to help me to cope with my meltdowns, social and communication skills, independence, and dealing with change, as well as managing routines.
You can read about them in my books:
http://www.jkp.com/uk/create-a-reward-plan-for-your-child-with-asperger-syndrome.html
http://www.jkp.com/uk/helping-children-with-autism-spectrum-conditions-through-everyday-transitions.html