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Autistic toddler with overeating issues

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autism eating
2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  mamarhu 
#1 ·
My oldest daughter, who has just made four, is a low-functioning autist. She is non-verbal and has no means of communication. She can't point or grunt or sign. She isn't even potty trained. Our biggest issue lately has been with eating though. She will dig in the garbage for scraps and grab food off the counter. She even rubs her hand on the stove for crumbs to lick. She eats A LOT. More than me or my husband eat in fact. She'll have an adult sized meal and start screaming as soon as she runs out of food. I thought maybe she was just going through a growth spurt but she has put on an unhealthy amount of weight. I don't want her to have more issues than she already has so I try to regulate her eating or distract her but family members (who are no strangers to overeating) act as if I'm starving her and feed her disgusting junk food behind my back. Has anyone had any issue similar to this and if so, did you find anything that helped?
 
#3 ·
ArialAnne, my daughter had a similar problem with the eating 10 years ago when they lived in Leinster, but not with family members she never had them there, she had to lock all her cupboards so as my grandson could not get into them and the fridge also, my grandson is now 14yo, he is high functioning Autistic and mild CP, but is a state basketballer, he plays so much he does not need physio anymore. He could not talk at the time and my daughter put him onto EYE Q capsule after 4 months taking them he started speaking, these are the fish oil capsule made with smaller fish so as no mercury levels in them, they are expensive, she says they are worth it, they help the whole body, I am sorry I could not help you with any other advice.
Regards Cheryl
 
#5 ·
Yes, this is what I was thinking. Could you perhaps try "chewelery"? These are non-toxic rubbery necklaces meant to be chewed.
The other suggestion I can think of is having huge quantities of very low calorie foods available - raw carrots and celery come to mind. They take lots of chewing and crunching. Getting firm with family members sounds essential, but I understand how complex this can be. Kudos to you for catching this issue early.
Best of luck.
 
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