Breaking Down Eating

 It is common for autistic people to have a small and inflexible group of foods that they will eat. For both my kids, all their senses were acute. I was also a stressed working mom and so missed a crucial window of getting my kids to eat a variety of foods. 

All this to say that both my kids love carbs and plain foods. For a while I had success with getting them to eat apples and bananas. No more. Tomato sauce on pizza is the closest they get to a vegetable (no, no fries any more either). There was a week where I could get them to eat raw bits of broccoli, because they thought it was funny. No more. No popcorn, but they will eat tortilla chips.

For a while, James had a pretty good diet. Then our world broke up, broke apart, caught on fire, and kept falling apart on us. There were unresolved dental issues. James decided eating was a pain and his dietary world narrowed to cheese pizza, milk, and croissants.

Gradually, I, some family members, school, and ABA have encouraged James to re-expand his diet. I felt like Queen of the World when I got him to eat a warm pretzel in Golden Gate Park during COVID-19 lockdowns. Then ABA got him to make (and even eat) a quesadilla and a PB&J. His aunt got him to try strawberries and melon. His teeth are in much better shape and I think that is encouraging him as well.

Now ABA is providing a nutritionist to work with us on new foods and approaches for James. Like so much else that I have experienced with James, this involves breaking things down (introductions, preferences, actual tastes, bites, chewing, etc.) over several months to support a more robust and healthy diet. Bon appétit, mon fils, bon appétit.

Tall Teen Becomes Short Order Chef

This past Friday's ABA session included work on independence skills. It tied in nicely with both our current obsession with the Great British Baking Show and a nigh universal love of .... bacon!

James was extremely skeptical, but his awesome ABA Team swung him into -- cooking bacon. And not just any bacon, oh no. They brought a delectable offering from Oliver's.

At first, James retreated down the hall. Bacon smells when it cooks, and I don't make it that often. Then too, he knew that he would also be expected to touch and taste it this time. Trying new foods is not what James wants at all. But, he is growing still and needs to be comfortable with eating a wider variety of foods.

I watched, as discretely as a mom can watch her child in action to achieve. James did a great job of stepping up to the pan and using tongs to turn the bacon while the fat sizzled, snapped and popped. He even rearranged the bacon slices to lie flat and straight in the pan.

At the end of the session, he presented me with this tasty delight:

As they say on that show, attention to detail is what makes you an excellent chef.

Way to go, James - and thanks to his ABA team!

New Food: Sweet Cinnamon Mini Crescent Rolls

Like many teens, James likes donuts (glazed, occasional treats) and cinnamon rolls (Starbucks, when on vacation and special weekend treats) for breakfast.

Unfortunately, he is growing fast and will only eat some of the foods some of the time, and those babies are sugar overloads and empty carbs galore. So I look for a happy medium to balance coaxing him to expand his list of foods he will eat and getting in as much of a healthy diet as possible.

Solution: Trader Joe's refrigerated pop and bake mini crescent rolls. Plussed. I add a little butter and small sprinkling of a cinnamon & sugar mixture before rolling the triangles and baking.

Voila! Better for him and fresh from the oven. First time he refused. Second time he tried some and took some to school. This morning, I had to work fast to snag a couple before he wolfed them down.

I will need to get some more. Luckily, a can of 8 mini crescents costs less than one morning bun or cinnamon roll from Starbucks. Oh, and they're Vegan too.