We work with many parents who have picky eating children, and have developed an information sheet that’s included in their bag.
Picky eating (also known as fussy, faddy or choosy eating) is perfectly normal in children. Its official name is neophobia, meaning “fear of new things”. When we were cavemen, it was perfectly normal to not randomly go eating new stuff – it stopped us getting poisoned, particularly the children! It was safest to try a little bit several times and see if you got sick; also to see if people around you were eating that food, so encouraging them to try a tiny bit and eating the same foods in front of them are all important to changing behaviour.
Cooking the food is also proven to improve their likelihood of eating it, so encouraging parents to cook with their children is vital.
However, it is important that the child is getting a wide variety of foods in the day including fruit and vegetables to ensure adequate intake of vitamins and minerals.
Autism and picky eating
The sensory aspects of autism can lead to children being extremely picky eaters, often preferring “beige foods” or the consistency of processed foods. Whilst we address this the same way as other children, sometimes the improvement can be very small; however, for the parent even something seemingly tiny can mean an awful lot in terms of relieving their stress. Getting them involved in cooking is often the first step “… although he wouldn’t eat the food, he can now watch us eating it, which he couldn’t do before”
Below you can view the sheet with information on why children refuse food and tips on how to improve their food intake:
We have also made a video that can be shared with participants