134. Food and Body Awareness

For many of our children, food-seeking is a constant source of
frustration and anxiety.  They may constantly ask for food,
even when they have just eaten, or they may fixate on specific
foods or textures and exclude all others.  Sometimes, no
matter how much they eat, they never seem to feel full, which can
lead to weight gain and other health issues.


Many children with autism have a heightened sense of smell,
taste, and texture which can make certain foods just unappealing
to them.  They may also have difficulty communicating their
hunger or fullness, which can lead to overeating and some of our
kids might engage in food-seeking behavior as a form of
self-stimming which can be calming or soothing for them. 


For many of our kids on the spectrum, their interception can be
impaired or disrupted and when it is, it can contribute to
food-seeking behaviors, as well as other health issues such as
dehydration or poor nutrition.  Interception is an important
aspect of overall body awareness and it is critical to many of
our basic functions, like regulating hunger and thirst,
controlling our breathing and heart rate, and sensing, and
responding to pain. 


I know our kids often have a limited range of foods they will
eat, but I want to encourage you to continue to offer them a
variety of foods to help them expand their palate, don’t give up,
and continue to encourage them to try new things and don’t get
discouraged. 


Don’t stay stuck in how hard your life is or you won’t be present
in the now and that mama is what is most important.  Find
the good in every day because I promise, even when you feel like
you are in quicksand, there is good there too, and when you look
for it, you are training your brain to look for more. 


JOIN The Not Your Average Autism Mom Movement on Facebook


I promise, if you are willing to do the work on yourself, this
entire parenting journey, even in the most chaotic times will be
a lot easier for you to navigate.


If you want to learn strategies and tools that you can use to
improve your life along this autism parenting journey,
becoming Not Your Average Autism
Mom is your answer.  We are the single best
online resource for moms raising autistic children.  Is the
educational journey overwhelming and confusing for you?  Our
member portal has an array of training and resources with
everything you need to know about Special Education and you can
join LIVE ZOOM calls with an Advocate to get any of your specific
questions answered.  Maybe you are feeling alone on your
journey or maybe you are looking for other moms to connect with
in a PRIVATE community who understand your day-to-day challenges,
be sure that you check out ALL THE BENEFITS available for you
when you BECOME Not Your Average Autism
Mom.


www.notyouraverageautismmom.com 


Additional Resources:


Episode 96. Our Parenting Journey is Different


Episode 74. You Cannot Fix All the Things All the Time