There’s hope...Grandmother of autistic 5 yr old with sensory issues

by Karen
(Ringgold, Ga)

My grandson was nonverbal until the age of 3. In his first year, he ate very well but about a year old, he stopped eating, gagged at the sight of food. The only things we found that he would try was Mac and cheese and the carnation chocolate breakfast shakes, and we were grateful since they do have vitamins in them.

After researching, we started him on probiotics and a multivitamin in gummies, and trying to cut out shapes which he likes. I can’t say that’s what made the changes, but he did start trying some new foods, not many but we have found some things he will eat.

He now eats oatmeal(the one with dinosaur eggs in it), pancakes, blueberry muffins, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple chunks, French fries, fruit loops, ice cream, occasionally chicken nuggets and just recently a hot dog.

He still struggles with smells and even the sight of foods but he’s doing so much better than he was and we still give him 3-4 shakes a day. We try and make it fun with shapes and colors and avoid foods with strong scents he is more apt to try it. We also found he likes to dip his food in ketchup, ranch, etc. We never force it on him; I make a small plate or in a baggie and sit it on the table and he’ll go and see what it is, and every day he’s eating a little more.

We still have a long way to go, but what I failed to mention, he started talking and eating shortly after giving him the probiotics and multivitamins, so if that wasn’t the reason, we can’t explain it, other than we did also purchase a learning tablet which he loves and could have played a part in his speaking.

Hope this is helpful!