Advice? DS with autism won't eat when I'm in the

[anlo]

room with him. Obviously, meal times are quite difficult around here because of it. He will not touch his food if anyone else is around. I'll ask him if he's finished, and he'll say the name of the food he has in front of him, which is way of saying he's still hungry, but he still won't eat unless I leave. Easy solution is to just leave him alone, but it's important to me for us to have meals together both for his safety and to model appropriate behavior. Any ideas are welcome.

[ralphlauren]

How old is he?

[Deleted]

does he have an OT? if so, they might either be able to work on that skill or to suggest possible additional therapists/options/etc.

[speckledfrog]

Ditto cville. His therapist should be able to give some advice.

[Deleted]

I'd just have dinner as a family and then when everyone is done, give him time on his own to finish eating.

[anlo]

He's 4. I will bring this up in OT, thanks. We have so much we are working on in OT I can't believe I didn't think of this.

[Deleted]

my friend's OT has been a godsend in terms of identifying other needs and identifying other sources to help with problems her daughter has. her daughter doesn't have autism, but i presume that your OT likewise has a better understanding of the resources in the special needs community as a whole. and if these recommendations are coming from your son's specialists, it might well help with getting insurance coverage for any additional necessary therapies.