Autism

[jaytee74]

I live in Fiji and there no support groups for autism,  I didn't even know about the sickness now.  My son who will be 3 in September has yet to speak his first words.  He doesn't interact well with other chilren and the slightest things like a moving fan or a fluttering piece of cloth gets him excited.  He knows only the bath word and "tutu" which is the pet name for his milk bottle, and when you tell him the word and then dont take him to the shower he throws a tantrum where he cries and cries till he throws up.  He is yet to be diagnosed and he has his clinic in 3 weeks time.  I am praying that they'll tell me otherwise but the symptoms are all there.  I'm having trouble with the tantrums and ask advice on how to at least handle it.  My son is a big 3 year old and it is quite hard trying to control him.  

[MJIthewriter]

Some people on a forum have found this book helpful: Just Take A Bite Forward by Dr. Temple Grandin.
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To add to what chikp stated:
It could be he associates:

Lump = taste and feel of vomit...especially if he had to upchuck...

For me foods that I remember upchucking or leaving me feeling very uncomfortable:

- Mushrooms - vomited in car seat. I heard mom say "Looks like mushrooms" (mom claims she didn't say that, but that was how I heard it and interpreted it)
- Brussels sprouts: Got terrible indigestion that left me groaning and clutching my stomach
- Any potato salad/cold salad mixes with vinegar/ cream/whip cream: I ate a "little bit of everything" at a buffet, got a terrible really painful cramp. I don't remember if I vomited or not... I sure felt rotten for the rest of the day or at least a long time. I guess because I had eaten several samples of cold salad dishes, my memory kept track of all of them and associated it with the sick feel.
- Fruit in jello (It started with a canned Del Monte fruit cocktail mix) - All I know was middle of the night I was putting my hands over my stomach and then puked it up... (I may have had some kind of flu) My memory attached the sick experience with the food, along with putting my hands on my stomach. (I did not dare to sleep with my hands there again)
- Canned corn: I got a migraine headache at age 10 and lost the lunch I ate. Interestingly it was just the corn I got the aversion to, not the PBJ that I ate with it (or if it was the PPJ was not a lasting aversion at the time)
- Eggs (I’m not allergic but they gave me bad gas and cramps)
- Orange juice: I got some kind of mysterious stomach flu. I didn't feel bad when eating a continental breakfast at the Hotel. (Visiting a relative out of state) and became much sicker later.  Oddly the food dislike occurred to just the orange juice.  Ever since then the acid feels way too strong in my mouth... (I could continue to drink the sweater varieties, but not the less sweat strong acid)
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The sick experience doesn't have to be connected with the food, but just because it came up, for some reason my body remembers it and makes my tongue and mouth treat it as if a poison... (I'm guessing survival instinct for early cavemen to keep them from eating the same poisonous berries or 'shrooms again)
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Gag reflux triggers (used to be a lot worse, but has gotten considerably better over the years):

- Anything way too tough to chew.... (I have to be able to swallow things quickly)
- Things that become a mushy mess in my mouth before I can swallow it...
- Pulp or any floating unidentified object in a drink…
- Consistency of soggy bread. Either before entering my mouth or in my mouth.
- Things that lose flavor before being swallowed or spit out.
- Things like pudding with beads of jello. (Why do people like these anyway??)
- sweat acid combos…sweet vinegar and most vinegar things besides Italian Dressing and the like.
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There's foods I got tired of eating and developed a dislike to varying degrees.

- Smooth peanut butter
- Crunchy peanut butter?? (I take this better than the smooth kind)
- Jelly??
(There was a time I had PBJ's on a regular basis)
- Spaghetti and marinara sauce.
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Things that just taste yucky:

- Tuna = can + polluted river water...
- Any fish that has that flavor (except kippers and sardines...odd isn't it?)
- milk or any liquid dairy product (this may have been partially because the cafeteria milk tasted just a little rancid and that flavor has stuck since...)
- French dressing (It's sweet and acid... I spilled some and was forced to eat it, but couldn't because the gag reflux kicked in. 'nuff said...)
- mashed potatoes (the texture more than the flavor. Feels like paste...and the powdered mixes seem to remind me even more)
- paste... I couldn't figure out why the other kids liked to eat it...thought I'll take a taste...then decided this kid isn't going to eat it...
- Tomatoes and various tomato products if on their own… Mixed in I can tolerate. (Possibly it falls into the sweet acid category??)
- Mayonnaise and the like (unless blended in really well and not excess.

- Canned spinach and greens... I eat it, but it reminds me of caterpillar frass whenever I look at it... (I've raised several butterflies, and sometimes I may lose an entire batch to viruses...and the caterpillar frass/vomit looks like chewed up leaves…)
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This may be quite a list (and I’m sure I may have forgotten a few), but I seem to have found a variety of foods  I can eat. I found sometimes if served right I can eat a food I normally dislike.

For instance if tuna is served as a hot dish mixed with cheese and hash browns, I seem to be more inclined to eat it. I won’t eat it cold and I definitely won’t eat it shredded and mixed with Miracle Whip/mayonnaise. (I have eaten it if given no choice, but I can’t finish it off)
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I believe I answered another post but between the two topics  you can find out the details of why I don't like certain foods.

[chikp]

Well, before I talk at all about feeding/eating, I suggest that you speak with your son's pediatrician to rule out any kind of medical issue.  Some children have severe acid reflux or an obstruction that will cause them to limit their diets.  You should also look for a speech therapist in your area that has experience in feeding with young children.  She should be able to check out his tongue and swallow pattern to see if your son is able to figure out what to do when a piece of solid food is in his mouth.  Think about all of the steps involved in eating.  Next time you take a bite of something, pay attention to everything that is going on inside of your mouth, what is your tongue doing?  what about your teeth?  where do you position the food on your tongue immediately before you swallow it?  it's actually quite interesting to think about.  

Anyway, if your son checks out fine with both of these people, then he probably has a sensory aversion paired with some associated behaviors all wrapped up into eating.  This can be worked on by slowly and systematically exposing your son to new foods.

[jaytee74]

Could you please tell about eating patterns,  my son still eats blended food and refuses to eat anything that even has a lump in it, he throws up and refuses to eat until his meal is blended, he is going to be 3 in Sept and we don't go out anywhere as his mealtimes are quite an effort.

[chikp]

Maybe you could do a search for services in Australia.  My guess is that you may find an organization based there that may have a satellite in Fiji.  As you may learn from reading posts in this community, a diagnosis is just a label applied sometimes arbitrarily.  If you are already concerned with the behaviors you are seeing, you should seek out services.  Most good therapists will look at the child and build a treatment plan based on his needs.  I have worked with kids diagnosed as having autism, pdd/nos, asperger's, global developmental delay, etc.  The longer I am in this community the less weight I give to the diagnosis.  

In the mean time, start documenting the tantrums.  Make what is called an ABC chart (Antecedent/Behavior/Consequence).  Before you start, identify specific behaviors that you want to find out more about.  Break the tantrums down into individual components, (i.e., falling to the floor, kicking, hitting, screaming, biting, etc).  When one occurs, make a note of what happened immediately before the behavior, then the behavior, then the consequence.  Do this for a few days to a week, depending on the frequency of the behaviors.  What you may find out is "every time X happens, he does Y.  But when Z happens, he does A".  This will be the first step in understanding what he is trying to communicate to you through his behaviors.  This chart will also be extremely helpful for you to bring with you to his clinic.  

If you have any questions, let me know.

[Sally44]

Hi, I have just joined these forums so I hope you got my note I sent you.
I just wanted to add that your son may have sensory differences because of his interest in certain stimuli.  Do an internet search for 'sensory differences in autism and aspergers' and that brings up alot of information that you may recognise in your son.