Regression of acquired skills

[Tatilove]

I’m worried

My son has been feeding himself for years, at first with hands, then with utensils. He has always been a clean eater and caused no problems to eat on his now.

For the past three weeks, he refuses to pick up his fork to eat unless we tell him to pick up his fork and eat for almost every bite. Sometimes he won’t even do that and waits for us to come feed him. What is going on? Is this regression or rebellion?

Note that he isn’t angry or upset when refusing to eat.

Any advice?

 

[Owliet]

I’m worried

My son has been feeding himself for years, at first with hands, then with utensils. He has always been a clean eater and caused no problems to eat on his now.

For the past three weeks, he refuses to pick up his fork to eat unless we tell him to pick up his fork and eat for almost every bite. Sometimes he won’t even do that and waits for us to come feed him. What is going on? Is this regression or rebellion?

Note that he isn’t angry or upset when refusing to eat.

Any advice?

Could it be something related to textures of food Or the motor skills with using Utensils?

I went through a time when I would not have my food touching each other on a plate. My mom for years, she still does actually, would have to have food separate in bowls because I would refuse to have something touching on the plate.

Saying that, Maybe try new foods? Make them exciting and maybe encourage him to help you “cook” pizza or something.

 

[VictorR]

Could it be something related to textures of food Or the motor skills with using Utensils?

I went through a time when I would not have my food touching each other on a plate. My mom for years, she still does actually, would have to have food separate in bowls because I would refuse to have something touching on the plate.

Saying that, Maybe try new foods? Make them exciting and maybe encourage him to help you “cook” pizza or something.

I had a significant phase growing up where if presented with a number of different foods, I would want them separate, and eat them one at a time.

 

[Owliet]

I had a significant phase growing up where if presented with a number of different foods, I would want them separate, and eat them one at a time.

I had the unfortunate side effect that by having just one thing, just something slightly touching something else, I would not eat it. to me it would be contaminated or something. I still don’t understand why that feeling was there but I would have to eat one thing, then another thing. Drinks I did not have this issue. And I think it may be related to textures. There are certain foods now that I still cant eat.

 

[MadFit]

Perhaps he doesn’t like the food and doesn’t know how to communicate?

Is this with foods he previously ate?
Or have you introduced new foods into his routine?

 

[Tatilove]

Perhaps he doesn’t like the food and doesn’t know how to communicate?

Is this with foods he previously ate?
Or have you introduced new foods into his routine?

He does it with food he has always loved. Maybe his taste in food is changing. I’ll try offering some new foods to see if that helps. Thank you

 

[Tatilove]

Could it be something related to textures of food Or the motor skills with using Utensils?

I went through a time when I would not have my food touching each other on a plate. My mom for years, she still does actually, would have to have food separate in bowls because I would refuse to have something touching on the plate.

Saying that, Maybe try new foods? Make them exciting and maybe encourage him to help you “cook” pizza or something.

I don’t think it’s the texture. It’s food he usually loves. Someone told me maybe something traumatic happened to him while eating when this all started. Maybe hot food (though I don’t usually serve him very hot food). I’ll continue observing him.

 

[Tatilove]

I had the unfortunate side effect that by having just one thing, just something slightly touching something else, I would not eat it. to me it would be contaminated or something. I still don’t understand why that feeling was there but I would have to eat one thing, then another thing. Drinks I did not have this issue. And I think it may be related to textures. There are certain foods now that I still cant eat.

Hi food doesn’t touch. Here’s a photo of his dinner tonight. Everything is separate. Though he doesn’t touch his veggies, tonight he ate two platefuls and I only had to ask him to pick up his fork once.

My biggest worry is regression, because I heard stories of kids losing acquired skills.

 

[Rodafina]

Sounds frustrating and worrisome. There are alot of explanations, though. The following is not written by me, just some things I found….

Spoiler: Eating Info

Medical​

There are some medical issues that can make eating a negative experience for a child. A child who pairs eating with discomfort or even pain will naturally not be motivated to eat. Possible issues to rule out include respiratory involvement, dysphagia or swallowing disorders, Reflux/GERD, chronic constipation, and other upper and lower GI issues.

Seeking out a pediatrician familiar with ASD and the potential medical deficits associated with feeding difficulty is important. Other professionals such as gastroenterologists, pulmonologists, ENTs, endocrinologists, and nutritionists are also important to have on your team to effectively assess potential medical etiologies.

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Children diagnosed with ASD often display sensory processing deficits that can affect their ability to interact with different foods. To a child with an oversensitive sensory system, food may look, sound, smell, feel, or taste offensive. The interaction with certain “offensive” foods can cause a physiological, involuntary response resulting in the child gagging, spitting out, or altogether refusing to interact with it.

When we understand that our children have legitimate sensory processing difficulties working against them at mealtime, we can start moving forward in helping them become more comfortable with a larger variety of food. Occupational therapists (OTs) are trained in treating children with sensory processing difficulties and can evaluate the extent to which this is affecting your child with ASD’s feeding skills.

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Psychological​

How parents interact with their child to encourage eating can set the tone for success, or failure. When children experience accusatory or negative language with frequent questions, demands or commands, their confidence and ability to work through eating challenges are affected.

Working to create and maintain a positive environment is important in helping a child with feeding deficits remain hungry and motivated to eat. When children feel safe, encouraged, and engaged in such an environment, mealtime can be transformed into a more successful experience. Psychologists can provide treatment that addresses the family mealtime environment and give strategies for children with anxiety related to food.

I’m guessing that you may already know a good deal of what I included above, but child development theory suggests that children up to five commonly experience a change in their eating behavior. So, I don’t think you need to immediately jump to the fear of regression and loss skills. Perhaps, like you said there has been a negative experience associated with eating recently. Or maybe some thing else in the environment has changed and that is affecting his normal routines.

I can only imagine it’s very tough to want the best for your son and to watch him struggle a little bit. But keep at it, keep asking curious questions and learning And I think you’ll meet his needs well.

 

[Darkkin]

Regression can be an indicator of autistic burnout. Basically simple, everyday tasks like using a utensil or verbalizing can become an overwhelming expense to an already overstressed nervous system. Mutism and using hands instead of the expected tools are ways the body tries to regulate its energy out put and conserve energy.

It is not that he has lost the skill. From context it sounds as if he just doesn't have the sensory wherewithal to use his utensils. He did pick it up when requested, which is a good indicator that his skills are intact and he wants to do the task 'correctly'.

Burnout and temporary regression of skills are unique to the individual. Age is going to be a factor. Younger kids are not going to have the tools to effectively communicate that they are overwhelmed or at their limit. Eating with their fingers instead of a fork or spoon can be an indicator that they are working to pull back from a shutdown or meltdown. They work to be 'normal'.

As an adult, I stop reading, writing, and talking. Eating is generally no more complicated than a bowl of cereal simply because I don't have the physical resources to do normal tasks. The signals are different, but the cause is the same. Daily routines are set aside because there are no resources left to draw from. The nervous system literally shuts you down in order to recover some of its resources.

Consider offering finger-centric foods that are easy to handle and let him set a pace he's comfortable with for a little while. Chances are his systems will regulate themselves given some time. And one of the key factors with autism, it is much better to work with the system they have instead of working against it and forcing an issue.

 

[Luca]

I went through a time when I would not have my food touching each other on a plate. My mom for years, she still does actually, would have to have food separate in bowls because I would refuse to have something touching on the plate.

I had a significant phase growing up where if presented with a number of different foods, I would want them separate, and eat them one at a time.

I still do this...

 

[VictorR]

I still do this...

Confession: Looking at how I ate my dinner tonight, me too. I'm just in denial.

 

[MadFit]

He does it with food he has always loved. Maybe his taste in food is changing. I’ll try offering some new foods to see if that helps. Thank you