TamikaSian: It sounds like he likes starch, and he likes foods that are soft, or small. If it is the texture he likes, then you might try baby food that has a similar texture to the mashed potatoes.

Pasta, pancakes and ramen are all wheat, as are goldfish. These can be troublesome for some autistic kids, because the ones who crave it the most tend to be the ones with the most gluten problems.

I would agree with CrimsonWife that you might want to try some gluten-free substitutes, and see if he tries it. Gluten-free pancakes are a good place to start, since they are pretty close to the real thing.

You can also try to get him to drink a milkshake. If he likes it, then you can gradually add protein and vitamins until he starts turning it down.

My son likes the baby food pouches that mix fruit and veggies. In fact, that is the only way he ever gets veggies of any sort.

If your therapist offers a feeding program, then it always starts pretty simple: They find something he really likes, and offer the reward in exchange for a few bites of the food that you want him to try.

So, for example, if you want him to eat carrots (again, I would start with baby food), then they will offer him an m&m, or some other such candy, once he eats a bite of carrots. If that works, then it does not have to be any more complicated than that. Once he learns to eat, then you can gradually fade out the reward.

If he still does not eat, then therapists have a lot of tricks to introduce foods. Sometimes, it has to start small: They show him the food on day one. On day two, he has to touch it to get the reward. On day three, he has to pick it up to the get the reward. On day four, he has to smell it. At any time, if he decides to jump ahead of the program and take a bite, then he gets rewarded like a rock star.

ABA therapists learn pretty quickly to avoid negative reinforcement. It doesn't work as well as it does with typical kids, for a variety of reasons. For some kids, it does not work at all. So sometimes ABA therapy has to start very slowly until they get a feel for what works.

My DD was super-picky until I bit the bullet and eliminated gluten, dairy, and soy. I was nervous because nearly everything she ate was wheat and/or dairy heavy. But I really think there is something to the whole opiates theory, where our kids get addicted to the "highs" that gluten and dairy cause in the brain to the point where that's all they want to eat. Once I cut out the problem foods, DD became willing to eat a much wider variety of foods. At Thanksgiving '11 before the switch, all she ate was mashed potatoes and a roll with some peanut butter. At Thanksgiving '12, she ate ham, sweet potatoes, carrots, GF corn bread, a bit of cranberry sauce, and washed it all down with some green juice.

@A MyAutismTeam Member Thanks so much for the add and I have added you as well! I have good news and bad news in terms of his feeding issues. The bad news is that he is still very limited in what he eats, but the good news is that he is actually willing to try new foods now! He is just beginning sensory integration therapy so I will DEFINITELY keep you posted!

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A MyAutis...

I can tell you often this is a problem that you cannot take care of on your own without some help from a therapist or specialist. We have, and I know others that have tried about everything you can think of with no really progress. The fact is that if the child does not want to try new foods they are not going to.

I hear and I am sure many of us hear everyone say just make them sit there until they eat it, that is what my parents did. I just have to laugh because we all know these children are different and what worked for us does not work here. My daughter would just get up and leave or just push the food away and not even consider trying it, and if you make here she will gag so I know how tough it is. I would consult a specialist.

My son also struggles with food and it is mostly a sensory issue.. OT will definitely help him in this area!! It is helping my son .. it does take time and a lot of encouragement!!