How to get my 20 y/o with ASD to eat healthy?
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Anonymous
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I wish I didn't have to post this, but my son with ASD has constantly been priorizting on junk food and fast food since starting college and now he has his own money from financial aid. Even though he lives at home with me and my DH still, I check to see his location and I find out he is buying groceries from ALDI or Safeway (which is usually potato chips or any sweets).
My DH usually cooks food for my son and he offered him to try vegetables with cheese sticks but he refused and that makes me concerned of his food selectivity as an adult. It makes me really upset and concerned about his future diet, so I hope there is some advice that I can get for him as he is now an adult. |
Anonymous
| What was his relationship with food, and your role in it like in high school? |
Anonymous
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I think this is pretty normal for neurotypical kids this age, too.
Does he get enough physical activity? Does he generally avoid drinking and smoking? Vegetables with cheese sticks sounds kind of gross/bland. |
Anonymous
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Does he see a problem? Can you make healthier versions of his favorites?
The picky eating with ASD is real and tricky. |
Anonymous
He want as bad with his food selectivity in elementary or middle school, but by the time he was around the end of his senior year. It got pretty bad. He usually didn't go out to buy or eat food (he does not drive anyway), but he usually took out snacks from our pantry all the way until he started his first semester of college. |
Anonymous
It's not uncommon for kids to go through a phase, when they start to get more control of their diet, where they seek out their favorite options and don't have a lot of balance. It's also not uncommon for this phase to be delayed in kids with ASD who may have less independence in middle and high school because of factors like delayed driving, social anxiety that leads them to avoid places where they might have more food options, parental-child relationships that involve more adult direction, or developmental delays. How long has this been going on? Is he having medical complications from the less than ideal diet? The good thing is that 20 year old bodies are remarkably resilient, so the time for him to learn independence is now when his mistakes will be less harmful. Learning how to be independent requires chances to experience independence. |
Anonymous
| Is he overweight? |
Anonymous
Last checkup with his doctor..he's 5'9 and 210. IIRC when he was only 16 he was 180. |
Anonymous
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Honestly...he's an adult. I would just keep healthy choices only in the household and if he wants other stuff, he has to go buy it.
He may go buy it, because adults do that. |
Anonymous
That's a BMI of 31, so into the obese range. Yikes. Would you ever get him on a GLP-1? Being that obese at just 20 years old is setting yourself up for a lifetime of health problems. Best of luck OP. |
Anonymous
| Is taking away his financial aid money an option? If you have guardianship. |
Anonymous
I still have guardianship of him, but he usually always deposits his refund checks since he had his own debit card now. |
Anonymous
I wouldn't leave it alone as his choice. That puts their kid at their own risk for certain cancers and type 2 diabetes at a young age. |
Anonymous
How did you get guardianship of a student who is matriculated at college? |
Anonymous
I mean, it would be the most effective strategy if you’re open to it… no card no check no money no junk food… |