If you have a child with ASD you know that many aspects of caring for for the child can be difficult , including meal time . Here are a few tips to help you when caring for the nutritional needs of a child with special needs :
1 . Create routine with meals :
Remember the sights and sounds of preparing a meal can be stressful for your child . You may need to dim the lights for mealtime and make sure the television and radio is turned off . Let your child choose their seat or pick out a favorite food.
2 . If your child has sensory issues :
It may be helpful to allow them to play with their food . Becoming more familiar with the food can help . This can get a little messy , so put down a a towel or sheet to make cleanup easier .
3. Be prepared for picky eaters :
It can be difficult to feed children with sensitivity to tastes , colors, smells and textures . Let your child be involved in every step of the meal process , from picking out the food at the store to preparing it and deciding if he wants to eat it . don't be discouraged if a child dose not want to eat a new food . Keep a low-pressure and low-stress environment .
4 . Discuss your child's growth patterns with your pediatrician :
This is important for all children not just those with special needs . Your pediatrician should be able to let you know how your child is growing and if there are any particular concerns .
Ask for a referral to see dietitian if you are having trouble with meals and feeding.
Words of Wisdom :
Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.
It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.
A home with a loving and loyal husband and wife is the supreme setting in which children can be reared in love and righteousness and in which the spiritual and physical needs of children can be met.
A proud grand-poppa G.
Hi Aunty and Genie , some goodies for you .
ReplyDeleteDear Maxy ,
I have a close acquaintance who is a fitness instructor at a health club where I often work out . Two years ago , I saw her at a local peace parade and got very worked up over something she wrote on the signs she was wearing . I became so crazed over it that that I forgot myself and said some awful things about her . I also stopped going to her workout classes for a month and deleted her Facebook pages . Then I found out her husband had had a stroke the day of the parade .
I realize how hideous my behavior had been I returned to her workout class and intended to apologize profusely to her , but she wasn't there that day . When she finally came back , I told her I'd been praying for her and her husband .
Sometimes it seems she has forgiven me and everything is the same between us but on other days , I'm not so sure . I apologized to her in a general way , in a holiday greeting card , not mentioning the parade . I've lost countless hours of sleep crying from quilt , shame and regret . I've finally decided I have to do something . Please print this so she can see it and we can talk about it . She reads your column .
Distraught
Dear Maxy ,
"Grandma" has every right to be concerned about her stepson's nearly 3-year-old child who barely speaks . She should follow her instincts and strongly encourage that the girl be assessed by a speech therapist. The lack of expressive language could be a sigh of autism .
While the suggestions to spend more time interfacing with the child are great , professional intervention might be necessary . It is deplorable that the pediatrician has not caught this , an early intervention can change the trajectory of a child's life .
As a special education teacher over the past 10 years , I've seen the terrible repercussions caused by the lack of early intervention and the overworked school systems that regularly miss identifying these needs.
Special Ed Teacher
Dear Maxy ,
My cousin lives in the Caribbean with her family . She and I are pretty close , so we've emailing back and forth all winter . Normally she is very friendly and thoughtful but for some reason this year she got kind of mean with her commentary about the weather . While we was having the worse snow and cold you could imagine , she was having sunshine and 80 -degree temperatures .
That's not news , but more the way she rubbed it in I'm thinking she really didn't know how bad it was for my family . We had a few power outages . We had so many missed days at school that the family couldn't have any kind of vacation time off . I don't mean to be a complainer , but I really want my cousin to know that she was horribly insensitive to us and I don't appreciate it . Am I being too sensitive ?
Deep Freeze --- Boston
Dear Maxy ,
I have hired a baby sitter for my son ever since he was born . He is now 6 years old . I never reported this to the IRS because I wrote a check . I didn't pay illegally . Now I have learned that I am suppose to report it . My son's babysitter is upset because it means she will have less take home pay , but I don't want to have a problem with the government . What should I do ?
Paying Taxes , Baton Rouge , La.
Dear A.
DeleteI think your Aunt Nee was cut out for an advice column. She does very well at it. And we both like to solve problems and help people. Confidentially....we both have pretty strong opinions...hahaha!
Thanks for your help
This was a very informative post HB. Autism is a complex illness. Not many of us understand it. We should try to become more informed since it is very widespread these days.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge certainly is power.
Thank you,
Butterfly
It pleases me that you found this post interesting . My grands and Chris kids did the walk for Autism last Saturday , The Eldorado and Sams Town sponsored the walk on this side of the river sponsored them , as you know we have a lot of employees and some has kids with autism .
DeleteKnowledge is power .
You are welcome
HB
Howdy my darling niece ,
ReplyDeleteYou are just wonderful , a chip of the old block .
The kids told me what your Icon says , (NEE was sent here to watch over you ) that's is so sweet . Thank you my darling .
Your loving aunt .