Food & Eating Delays

 Back to:  Therapist Questions & Answers - Food Concerns

I have a three year old little boy that has severe eating issues. For the most part, he does not seem developmentally delayed, although, we have had suspicions that he may have Asperger's Syndrome. We have been to our family doctor, a nutritionist, a feeding therapist, an occupational therapist and had a swallow study done, not the barium one, but they just watched him eat. We have come across the problem of people not really taking us seriously when we say that he doesn't eat, and we are struggling daily with getting actual food into him.

He lives off of chocolate milk. We use Carnation Instant Breakfast because it has some nutrition in it. We offer him three meals every day including a snack. His diet is limited to less than ten food items. We've followed the nutritionist's advice and postponed giving him the milk until after mealtime; this hasn't helped. I found on the website information regarding the difference between picky eaters and problem feeders and he fits the problem feeders category completely. We need help, and we are running out of ideas on who to turn to. I am worried about my son's health; he is extremely thin, although not so thin that the doctor says he's underweight, and his skin is very dry. Please if you have any resources or ideas on where we could find help, let us know.

We at Early Intervention Support certainly are familiar with the frustration and helplessness that families feel when their child is not eating enough, having difficulty with food textures or only eating a limited diet of select foods. It sounds like that if you have already read our information regarding Picky Eaters vs Problem Feeders and determined your son fits the "problem" category that you indeed do need help from a specialist to address his concerns. I am sorry you could not find help locally through the various specialists you mentioned, since these would be the type of referrals we would recommend for help as well. The best I can do is to give you the web address and contact information for our own family centered, holistic feeding center (specifically geared to children ages 0-6 with feeding/sensory concerns) called Thrive Place.

You may wish to call the specialists at Thrive Place for a phone consultation and tell them you were referred via "Ask A Therapist" at Early Intervention Support and that you are calling from out of the state. From there you can determine if traveling to see these specialists would be appropriate for your son and your family. All contact info for Thrive Place is Thrive Place, 4070 Beechwood Blvd, Unit 1, Pittsburgh PA 15217, 412-521-1067. 

Back to:  Therapist Questions & Answers - Food Concerns

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