HFA - Extremely Messy Eater

[Anonymous]

Our DC with HFA is an extremely messy eater. We've been trying to work on it at home with little results. Any suggestions on where to look for outside help for this particular issue? TIA.

[Anonymous]

I would guess an OT -- it takes a lot of fine motor skills to load up the fork/spoon and bring it to your mouth without spilling it.

[Anonymous]

OT

[Anonymous]

Yes - OT. My HFA hates to get messy. I almost wish he would be less anxious about getting messy so he would try new foods, play more in the dirt, etc. In fact, he won't eat certain foods at school like yogurt bc he is so anxious about potential messes. He freaks if jelly squishes out of his sandwich! So, we are working with an OT on these opposite issues and it has been helpful!

[Anonymous]

My HFA ate far too fast when younger. He had poor table manners (even after correction and an etiquette class) and could stuff an entire burger down his throat. We finally got him to use a knife and fork properly but every now and then the stuffing of food into his mouth pops up again (he's an adult now). Interestingly his uncle eats exactly the same way and uses a knife and fork the same way (more like daggers).

[Anonymous]

Yep OT. DC still isn't a clean eater, but it improved his motor planning and the specifically focused on things like utensil use.