A Son's Message of Patience with Trying New Foods

The following video is a message from a child with Autism. Take a few minutes to listen to his precious words and allow his honesty and message of patience to be a lesson to all of us! Thank you Jake--you are putting into words what many children cannot and I'm proud to feature you on my blog!

"Waffle Hash"

I wasn't sure what to call this one. This is what I came up with when combining frozen hashbrowns, a few turkey sausage links, pancake mix, sharp cheddar cheese and some seasonings. In several of my other posts I have mentioned the fact that some children need and desire foods that offer more sensory feedback. These crunchy waffles have protein, starch, dairy and fat all in one nice little Crunch!

Since this was more of a Use Whatcha Have kind of recipe I will approximate the measurements to the best of my ability!



Grind sausage (or your preferred meat/protein) in Magic Bullet or processor
Approximately 1 cup pancake mix (I used the 'just add water' mix)
1 cup frozen hash browns, thawed
2 tbsp water
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
dash of Lawry's seasoned salt

These were very good and crisp! We made Adalyn's into a waffle tower with a few dabs of yogurt butter and cheese.

Easy Dairy Free Pumpkin cupcakes

Looking for a yummy dairy free dessert for the holidays? Some Duncan Hines brands are completely milk free--be sure to check labels! Another favorite is the spice cake mix. You can add some canned pumpkin to the mix for added nutrients and flavor, yum!

Don't ask me why this "Buttercream" frosting happens to be milk free but it is and its good! We also mixed the pumpkin and frosting together for a 'pumpkin mousse' topping for some of the cupcakes...or hey, just eat a little of it by itself! Some of the little ones who have not yet developed the ability to chew may love it!

Visual Learning!

I am trying to capture realistic opportunities for the parents who cannot be a part of weekly feeding sessions to implement at home…both on video and in writing. I am hoping that others will find this beneficial as well. I am considering posting more video of some food prep with my daughter helping or just simple ‘how to’ videos of food that was targeted during a session. The video serves a dual purpose—watching the video with your child can plant the seed so to speak. He may feel a little more anxious when not knowing what to expect and often being in the same vicinity as the undesired food triggers anxiety. Video on the other hand is a safe way to explore what would otherwise induce anxiety. Watch a video, talk about it and give it a try! I also feel it is important to do what you can to mentally prepare your child for any new food or change. I talk more about this in an example given in the post entitled The Bigger Picture.

Back to the topic of video learning—I recommend that parents of these very selective little ones watch some of Roni’s videos with her son on her website GreenLiteBites. She has so many great video clips of how food exploration should be! I came across this particular post Crazy Fruit Day the other day and wrote to her immediately asking if she would mind if I linked this video to my site. New fruits, new experiences, no pressure---this is hard to teach! Positive outlooks are so contagious! So I encourage you to watch this video and first and foremost take note of the comfort level between both parent and child in relation to the food. With a child who has a hard time getting past even touching or smelling the food you take several steps back…maybe talk about the color and the shape and use your own judgement with setting your expectations beyond what you feel is his level of comfort. This will pay off in the long run! It can be easy to confuse “What you Know you need to target” and “How to target”…for example you may know that your child is having a very negative response to your requests to touch a food. This is because it is being asked of him and his anxiety is still pretty high. Incorporating these sensory steps is also a process as is eating. Instead of saying “Can you touch the food?” you could try asking your child to hand you pieces of food or help clean up as well as incorporate other nonfood sensory play: play dough, rice or bean box, shaving cream, textured balls and other toys, etc. There are many articles on these topics and websites dedicated to sensory integration that may be very helpful in your child’s acceptance of food and the many steps involved in eating.