I thought this would be the best place to ask this question since there is alot of parents here with autistic children. When my son eats he just makes such a mess, and we just can't seem to get him to close his mouth, sometimes will eat with his hands, weve tried everything but he just gets mad(has a bad temper). At home this doesn't bother me as much but its when we go out i find it hard. Is there any other children that do this or just mine.


Thanks, Delcy

My son is 7 and still reverts to eating with his hands sometimes. He doesn't have a temper problem so we just keep reminding him to use his fork or spoon when he starts that. He also will occasionally throw his food around or on his head if we aren't watching him. I really don't have an answer, just wanted you to know it's not just your son. Good Luck (to us all!)

yes, its not just your son. my daughter is 6 years old and prefers to eat with her hands rather than utensils. i have read numerous times that this could be a sensory issue - they like to feel the food before eating it. my daughter usually rolls the food in her hands before putting it in her mouth. i think its because if she doesnt like the feeling of it in her hands, she knows she wont like the feeling of it in her mouth. and yes, she makes a huge mess doing this. i really dont have any answers either, probably because i've gotten used to her eating habits and it doesnt bother me very much.

My son has real eating problems. He too likes to touch his food and roll it in his hands. My son also his has a very very limited diet and only eats a handful of things ie. chips, sausage, toast and milk. That's what he survives on. I wouldn't care how he ate his food or what mess he made if he would only try something new, some fruit and veg would be a start. i'm sorry but i'm not much help either on what to do about it. but it is sometimes good to know that there are others in the same boat. :confused:

My son also doesn't eat very much, for supper his favorite is white rice with butter, sometimes toast but either than that he doesn't eat much meat (wieners and balogny) no potatoes or vegetables , might eat bananas once in awhile but very fussy, doesn't like the textures of certain foods. At the schools christmas dinner he wanted chicken fingers so i gave him some but because they were a little soggy he gagged, then of coarse the kids laughed at him saying he was gross. Anyway, its nice to know there is other parents out there going through the same thing as we are, and this sight sure makes me feel better when im down. Thanks to all those parents out there who listens to our stories.

P.S. God has given us these children only because he knew we would be great parents to them!

Thanks, Delcy

We bribed our daughter to eat with her spoon. We would do what she wanted - clap, sing, pat the table, etc. As soon as she used her hands, we'd stop. As soon as she'd use her spoon, we'd start again. She still likes to eat with her hands, but we just keep reminding her to use her spoon. We have also put her in time out (with many reminders and a warning before hand), for pushing her mat away. It sounds stupid, but she knocks things over when she does it.