By a mom who lives it everydayIf there is one thing the internet has taught me is that parenting a child is difficult. And if there is anything that running this blog has taught me is that, parenting a special needs child is super difficult near overwhelmingly impossible. I have two of those struggles living together with me. My eldest son, Hilo, has autism. Autism is a lot to handle, and for some children, it can be debilitating. I'm on all the mom groups. I read the stories. Plenty of children with autism are disruptive in their daily lives, unable to cope with certain environments or tasks expected for their progress, some are violent or self-harming. Sadly, some have to move to group homes because of their behaviors. I have one child with something like that. Now throw in a fragile baby (well he looks like a baby but he's a year and a half) with medical conditions up the wazoo, and I have a basket full of chaos. Tons of questions pour in but one always sticks out in my mind. How do you do it?
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First, let's delve into what exactly picky eating is. Picky eating can be typical of a normal developing child. For typical developing children, the onset of picky eating can begin starting at age 18 months until up to three years of age. This kind of picky eating is more about control and choice rather than the food itself, as shown by the ability to eat once they are hungry enough. I'd say that ageless classic line of, "A child won't starve themselves. They'll eat when they're hungry" might ring true for normal picky eaters. The shining light at the end of the rainbow is for them, the picky eating gets to leave around age 6 or so. On the opposite side, how to know your child has a selective eating disorder is more obvious. Onset of the eating habits are typically birth but can wait until four years of age before showing. The "obvious" part of the disorder is that the child doesn't reject certain foods. They reject entire food groups. Meats and vegetables are the usual suspects. Eating socially is typically avoided. The stress of having to eat foods in an over-stimulating place is too much work. Likewise, the stress of even touching or smelling new flavors and textures can result in meltdowns. And sadly, these behaviors do not stop; they continue into adulthood. Selective Eating Disorders are prevalent among the special needs community with a wide variety of disabilities like autism (ASD), oral-motor delays, swallowing difficulties, gastrointestinal problems and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). These are just a few difficulties, not all.
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AuthorGabrielle Rae is a special needs, stay at home mommy of two boys. She enjoys reading and writing novels in her spare time. @onbothfrontsArchives
August 2018
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