Friday, July 30, 2010

It's Ok if They Don't Eat Like a Nutritionist

There are 3 baskets of unfolded laundry sitting on my bed right now. I have a rock in my bath tub. Yes, the kind you find in the garden, probably about 8 inches long and a couple inches thick. I'm running low on pull-ups and struggling to find the strength and patience I need to continue to fight in the battle between Jackson and number 2. Add to the usual craziness the fact that school starts next week, and I might just have a panic attack. Preparing breakfast and lunch for my little guy and thinking about trusting someone else with his health is a very scary thing.

Well, I just read some news and the abstract of an article published in Pediatrics on July 19, 2010, Feeding Symptoms, Dietary Patterns, and Growth in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Essentially the article said that ASD kids on special diets restricted by allergies or food aversion grow the same as children off the spectrum. GF/CF, yeast free, sugar free, the kind of kid that only eats pudding and jello, the diet didn't matter. They grow just about the same. So, I don't have to freak out quite so much when the only thing he wants to eat for lunch is graham crackers and a banana, and I can pack his lunch with the things I know he will eat and enjoy.

I guess I will have to admit that my pediatrician husband's philosophy, "Feed him what he likes and give him a vitamin. He'll be ok." might actually be right. Well, sometimes and as long as what he likes is on our allergy free, natural menu.

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