Is this normal for people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Question

My 7 your old son has a mild form of Autistic Spectrum Disorder called Atypical Autism and a language disorder. What i wanted to know if it was normal for people with an ASD to eat and drink excessively. My son eats bigger meals than me plus whatever anyone else has left. He eats more than some full grown men i know. Is this part of it? Luckily he isn't over weight, infact he is so slim he looks under fed! He is very active and jumps and flaps a lot. He doesn't have worms. He eats like there is no tomorrow. He is also the same with fluid? I'm just interested to know if anyone else has experienced this with anyone they know with an ASD.

Answer 1

I work with a student like your son. He eats every thing, takes food from other students, eats things he found in the trash or on the ground. always hungry. He is VERY active and so he looks under weight ( but we know he is not) It could be part of his meds, but I dought it. He just has excessive eating. This is found in some people who has autism.  

Answer 2

This is normal, the eating fullfills a sense, As long as you are monitering his eating and weight and are taking him to the doctor frequently, it will be ok. Just make sure you do moniter his eating because he is not eating because he is hungry, just to get a particular sensation he enjoys when he eats.  

Answer 3

I have worked with many Autistic children, some more profoundly affected than others, and have only met one child who, would eat anything (I mean anything), if he was not supervised. Another child with ASD who would only eat white foods, which limited his dietary choice some what.

It sounds like a sensory thing for him, does your son like to eat certain foods and textures or colours? As this is not unusual either.

If he had Willi Prader syndrome which is a genetic disorder usually diagnosed in infancy, he would have had poor muscle tone (hypotonia), feeding difficulties, and failure to grow and gain weight (failure to thrive), as a baby. In childhood, features of the disorder include short stature, genital abnormalities and an excessive appetite. So you would would have be told long ago if he has Willi Prader.

I would have chat with your paediatrician and ask to be referred to a dietitian, to make sure he does not become obese.  I would also make sure you have a very set routine for eating, that is set times for main meals, and snack times, try not to step out side these times, no matter how much he pleads.

I am pleased to hear he eat a varied diet, which will help, the weight off. I found some autistic children were fussy eaters.

I wish your luck with your young son.

Answer 4

Yes, I think it must be as my Grandson is exactly the same. He eats like a horse and doesn't know when to stop. yet he is so thin and under weight. He has had so many tests done and my son and daughter in law have been told its just the way he is. They have been told to give him what they think is the correct amount for a 9 year old to eat and no more. He has high protein drinks to supplement his diet.

Answer 5

Sounds like he has a high metabolism, I was just the same and I'm not autistic.

Answer 6

Each child with autism is different now my son was diagnosed with severe autism at aged 3 he is ten now and his diet has been the same for 7 years ..Burnt toast and mash and gravy and thats it , he does drink a lot though, i would just monitor his weight but as long as his weight is ok ..shouldn't be a problem  

Answer 7

Hi I work with children with autism and have honestly come never come across this. Does he seem to never be full? Why dont you look into prader willie syndrome. Its a syndrome where people never feel full and thus eat a lot.

Good luck x

Answer 8

Your son sounds like the polar opposite to my daughter. She too has a diagnosis of A-typical Asperger syndrome and a couple of other conditions. She doesn't eat at all if she can help it and things got so bad she has had to have a feeding tube inserted into her stomach. Her lack of food is one of her main obsessions and the one thing in her life that she can control. Usually children with a diagnosis of an ASD are more prone to over eating or restricting themselves to a very small variety of food. Sometimes they will only eat dry food as they find textures very hard to deal with. If your son is healthy and not over weight I would be inclined not to worry about it as it will put more pressure on you and him, just keep an eye on his weight to ensure it doesn't creep up. I do think kids with a diagnosis of an ASD have enough to cope with without us restricting things that give them pleasure and security. Don't worry too much about what he eats as long as he remains healthy and happy. The majority of people who have an autistic spectrum disorder do have problems with over eating, under eating and sometimes eating strange things, it's all very common so don't worry about it too much. Good luck.