Abstract
The issues of food and feeding of autistic, as well as children with learning disabilities, frequently affect a number of families and significantly impact their lifestyles. These matters are quite difficult for the parents to deal successfully. The parents should be quite patient, careful and pragmatic in dealing with the food habits of their autistic children. It may take much time to prevail over the food and feeding issues of the autistic, as well as other disabilities of their affected children.
This report delves into the food and feeding habits of the autistic children as well as those children affected by the learning disabilities.
Introduction
A number of parents of many autistic children struggle with the critical eating habits of their wards. Rather, it is as a result of the fact that there a few practitioners are present with the food and feeding syndrome. Nevertheless, as a result of few professionals in this field, only few of them had experience and insight to deal with the autism of the children. Besides, a commonly recommended method for a lot of children who are affected by food and feeding disorders entails denying the food till the children are much hungry to eat. Moreover, this method has been considered risky and may not be suitable for the children with autism. At times, the parents’ apprehensions are disregarded, and they are asked not to get apprehensive as the majority of the children experience stages of selective eating and food craze.
Although no dependable data is accessible for the feeding and eating syndromes of children with ASD, it seems to be rather frequent. The families of the affected children may give up their struggles as a result of inadequate knowledge of household, friends as well as in particular health professionals.
In fact, a number of remedial, behavioral, and biological aspects, that included sensory complexities, should be taken in hand when feeding and eating the ASD children. Moreover, all these issues should be carefully evaluated and taken in hand by working with the competent health practitioners. As well, the ecological and sensory related matters should be thoroughly discussed. In fact, it is sensory and biological matters that the affected parents can modify their approach with the autistic children as they are in a better position to understand their children needs.
Besides, medical circumstances have a significant impact on the autistic children eating behavior and health. However, it is significant to evaluate and deal the feeding issues medically in order that the children health requirements could be identified successfully. When medical issues are identified clearly, and the plans are ready to deal with the problems, then the behavioral problems should be addressed and resolved. At times, the behavioral issues are profound, and the medical intervention is strongly needed. Moreover, the biological matters that included sensory problems can be taken into hand when medical and behavioral issues are resolved.
Moreover, in the 20th Century AD, a diverse operation of many autistic patients increased the acknowledgment and apprehensions. Furthermore, a study by various analysts implies that 50% of all autistic children have major gastrointestinal issues. The researchers carried out several assessments to observe inflammatory bowel disease in autistic children.
Consequently, the treatments of these food related abnormalities have caused different levels of improvements in the major indications of ASD that included behavioral, communicative and social competencies. Hence, the primary care for this atypical gastrointestinal disease necessitated the treatment of the affected parts.
A number of diets appear to assist some autistic children. A gluten-free diet appeared to be where a number of households begin when studying a gastrointestinal link between their children’s activities and their food regimens. Moreover, the households normally see their children’s self-restricted diet regimen develop considerably when their children begin a gluten-free food. In addition, Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) regimen has gained much recognition amongst families of autistic children (Gottschall, 2002). Moreover, the families should follow the modern research and seek advice from the professionals for a particular diet regimen for their autistic children. However, this method necessitates a considerable commitment from the families.
In fact, for the children who continue to refuse food or experience feeding or eating troubles, it is significant for the families to assess the potential health troubles. Moreover, it shall help to identify rationales that should be tackled to optimize feeding and eating success for their autistic children. However, there are a lot of children who have little craving for the food. As well, these children might not have the capability to have a feeling or interpretation of hunger. Consequently, the incapability to have the required feeling and the interpretation of hunger is rather puzzling and normally necessitates more efforts for the families of autistic children. As well, the allergic reaction and intolerance of food must be taken in hand as part of medical assessment of the autistic children. It should be noted that the incapability to identify hunger, food allergies and other intolerance can impact the autistic children significantly and affect their physical health.
Behavioral Issues
The food eating syndromes are quite intricate and have been analyzed for children with autism and learning disabilities. Moreover, the eating syndrome to develop obesity and anorexia nervosa can also harmfully impact the children with autism and the learning disorders. As well, the children facing these issues are vulnerable for critical health and development complexities that can cause serious impacts to young children. The studies are plentiful of studies that show the persons are at great risk as a result of behavioral eating syndromes (Kedesdy & Budd, 1998; Macht, 1990; Woolston, 1991).
For instance, the intake of Pica, a non-healthy foodstuff, is a behavior that can begin at any point in lifetime and under diverse situations. As well, when the children constantly eat non-edible objects an assessment should be carried out the cause. Indeed, the children must be strongly monitored and steer clear of the materials relating to the Pica activities. Moreover, there exist many rationales and cure for the Pica. Accordingly, the well-informed professionals have the capability to evaluate clearly and deal with the issue of Pica. Besides, many problems faced by the children as a result of learning disabilities could lead to pica.
On the other hand, rumination takes place due to re-chewing or re-swallowing, or vomiting of food. It is considered as a health problem that can lead to critical health complexities. Nevertheless, its causes are not comprehensible although it is thought it could be due gastrointestinal syndromes. The syndrome of rumination is rather a rare medical problem. The best remedial measure could be to take suitable medical appraisal and treatment. Furthermore, all the behavioral issues when getting serious should be assessed, and proper treatment should be administered.
Environmental Problems
All over the partial food eating syndrome studies (Morris & Klein, 1987; Kedesdy & Budd, 1998; Macht, 1990), the biological aspects mostly focus on a variety of sensory factors. In addition, the children that have a tendency to intake excessive food choice have to experience many constantly biological aspects regarding sensory tone and control. Moreover, the selective eating is explained as the intake of the little amount of foodstuff and restraining the foods intake to an exceptionally small selection on only in a couple of food items. Besides, selective intake of food causes major health results. Besides, critical selective food intake issues are normally considered show strong harmful responses to the ingestion of new foodstuff. The moderate selective eating is frequent in all young children in accordance with various studies. However, it can not be stressed significantly the issues for a many autistic children is due to acute food selectivity.
Moreover, acute food selectivity relating to biological and sensory concerns should be tackled effectively in several instances. Furthermore, the position to begin is to evaluate food eating practices and then sensory variables amongst the children. The compilation of data concerning what the children eat properly, and knowing how and where the children eat well can offer the fine clues that shall help in improving the children diet regimen. Normally, there are frequently asked questions as what and where foods the children eat foods successfully. However, the Parents normally find their children proclivity or avoidance, specific foods concerning the common sensory experiences.
Nevertheless, the autistic children are likely to eat frequently those foodstuffs that are included in one of the groups namely sweet, sour, bitter or salty. Moreover, it is frequent amongst the children, for example, to eat frequently only those foods that are salty and not the sweet foodstuff. Besides, the foodstuff that is salty may comprise the main fraction of the mainstream children’s diet. Nevertheless, this diet regimen may create troubles for the parents of autistic children and force them to seek advice from the health counselors.
Nevertheless, there are a number of children who are capable of working out all food tastes better. However, the parents and the health counselors may decide finally about the food regimen applied by the autistic children whether it is nutritious or not for the affected children.
As well, the “feeling” or touching of the food is usually a sensory characteristic for the autistic children. The temperature of foods should be maintained appropriately as well as the smell of the foods that should be attractive. Moreover, the children normally seek foods that have been maintained at the room temperature. It implies that cold foods for example ice-cream is not accepted as well as foods should be maintained at the room temperature before they are served for the autistic children.
Moreover, it is quite common amongst the autistic children to have a strong inclination for the specific foods, for instance, the foods that are crispy and soft. For example, the crushed boiled potatoes should be consistency served for the autistic children. Nevertheless, the introduction of new foods is also an important consideration that has similar feeling and texture. A number of children experience hard times switching from foodstuff they intake with the help of their fingers to the foodstuff they eat with the utensil. As well, a change from intake of food through bottle can at times problematic for autistic children.
Besides, the autistic children are strongly influenced by the odor of foodstuff. In fact, the foodstuff that is unfamiliar may pessimistically impact the autistic children to eat. The children are unable to express their feelings and seek other avenues to have the preferred foods. The parents of the autistic children should be quite aware of the sense of smell of their children.
Furthermore, the appearance of food is another importance issue affecting the autistic children. The parents should be aware of the food looks of their autistic children and take care for the specific foods that are most attractive to their children. For example, a number of autistic children would like to eat food that is served on a particular type of plate or dish. Moreover, a number of these children are quite choosy to have a particular uniformity in their food serving and would decline to take food if they find a radical change in the food serving.
Strategies
While creating a food regimen, it is significant to be careful about the wants of the autistic kids. The parents should be calm, patient and thoughtful to create food regimens for their children. It takes lot of time to create good food strategies for the autistic children.
The parents should introduce new foods gradually. Normally, the families are too quick to experiment new foods each day that may confuse the autistic children.
The gradual introduction of new foods would help the autistic children to become familiar to the smell, looks of the new foods. When the new foods have pleasing sensory qualities to the autistic children, they may have a better chance to accept them. It shall help them to add an array of preferred foods in their regimen. As well, the parents should be aware of the foods and should prepare the food regimen accordingly.
Besides, the parents of the autistic children should provide repeated exposure of the identical foods item. They may try to serve the same food for couple of weeks and wait for the response of their children. The strategy of new foods is successful only when the autistic children focus on the “look” of the food served. Moreover, when the autistic children are more responsive to the odor, flavor or the surface of foodstuff, it becomes quite difficult in making new “additions” to the food. Hence, the parents should be carefully when applying the strategies when introducing new foods to their autistic children.
Besides, the sensory and sensory characteristics of foods and environment that impact the autistic children’s capability to eat, a most common feature is the ability of the children to dine with the other members of the family. Indeed, there are various factors that affect these issues with the autistic children and prove difficult for the concerned families. To eat with people at the table is a social activity. The autistic children are mostly devoid of this social characteristic. They have almost no social activities to follow. Hence, eating in a social gathering may not be an attractive idea for the autistic children. Moreover, it may not be an attractive and rewarding for the autistic children.
The parents should consider the social issues surrounding the eating habits at the table for their autistic children. Normally, the children are quite active, and they are unwilling to sit at a place for a long time. They give hard times to the parents to be socially responsive while taking foods at the table. Especially for the autistic children that is quite laborious and difficult that their children should be socially trained to sit with them for a long time. Hence, the parents should be patient with the autistic children to make them socially responsive.
Accordingly, the parents may apply a few strategies that might work well in making the autistic children responsive. They may make use of toys for their children to remain at the table for a longer time. Thus the focus of playing whilst eating may produce the desired results to make their children more socially responsive.
Learning Disability & Eating Disorders
LD is one of the most frequent forms of disability noted in millions of British citizens (Emerson & Hatton 2008). Thousands of children in Britain have been affected with learning disabilities.
There exist significant data which shows that people with LDs are more prone to bad health in contrast to the general population (Stewart, 2003). In fact, the children with a learning disability are at increased risk of acquiring food-related health complexities. The problems of weight, swallowing and other physical, as well as oral health, are commonly noted amongst the affected children. The LD children are at greater risk to swallow foods if they have poorer or weaker muscle control and coordination of their bodies.
Moreover, the children with LD residing independently or in low-income groups are more probable to acquire poor eating habits.
The parents should careful about the diet regimen of their LD children. Moreover, they should take professional help from an expert dietitian to prevail over the eating disorders of the LD children.
Conclusion
The issues of food and feeding of autistic children constantly dominates a number of families and significantly impact their lifestyles. These issues are quite difficult for the families to deal successfully. The parents should be quite patient, careful and pragmatic in dealing with the food habits of their autistic children. It may take much time to prevail over the food and feeding issues of the autistic, as well as other disabilities of their affected children.
References
Emerson, E., & Hatton, C. (2008). People with learning disabilities in England (PDF 571.9KB). Lancaster: Centre for Disability Research (CeDR), Lancaster University.
Holland, T. (2008). Mental Capital and Wellbeing: Making the most of ourselves in the 21st century (PDF 187.1KB). London: The Government Office for Science, Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project.
Gottschall, E. (2002). Breaking the vicious cycle (millennium edition). Ontario, Canada: Kirkton Press.
Kedesdy, J.H. & Budd, K.S. (1998). Childhood eating disorders: Biobehavioral assessment and intervention. Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing Company.
Macht, J. (1990). Poor eaters: Helping children who refuse to eat. New York, NY: Plenum Press.
Morris, S.E. & Klein, M.D. (1987). Pre-feeding skills: A comprehensive source for feeding development. San Antonio, TX: Therapy Skill Builders.
Stewart, L. (2003). Development of the nutrition and swallowing checklist: a screening tool for nutrition risk and swallowing risk in people with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability; 28: 117-187.
