THINKSTOCK including thepediatrician, registered dietitian( RD), speech language pathologist and atherapist.
“ Each of these professionalswill help the parentsand thechild in their individual roles,” she says.“ TheRD willbeabletoassess whether the child is meeting his / her individual needs, which nutrients are lackingin thediet, and find alternative ways to meetthose needs.”
Registitered dietitian Peta Cohen, aclinical nutritionist and metabolic specialist for 20 years, withapractice, Total Life Center, inEnglewood, suggests trying to identifythe underlying causes forachild’ s refusal to eat.
“ For example, itcould be reflux, a food intoleranceorasensory component,” she says. As an example, she pointsout thatwhenachild refuses to eat meat, itcouldbebecause they have lowtone in theirjaw or that the meatmay tastemetallic due to low zinc levels in thechild’ sbody.
Levysuggests that parentstry to involve children in theplanning, shopping andpreparationoffoods. If the child doesnot like it, donot get frustrated. Keep trying because“ it very well mayhelp the childeventually become more willing to trysomething new,” she says.
Another strategy to tryathome is to keep mealtimes consistent.“ That means to eat meals at the same time each day, use the same plates, bowls andutensils, and have thechild decide which seathewill use for every meal,” Levy says.
Levy stresses that good nutrition is essential for an autisticchild.“ It can make every aspect of the child’ slife a bit easier,” she says.“ It can be easier to learn and help with theiremotional state.” However, due to the fact that an autistic child may eliminate whole food
groups due to texture, sensory processing or sensitivity to taste, thesekids often have nutritional deficiencies.
Many families with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder( ASD) try dietary therapy, which is increasingor avoidingcertain foods. Levy says,“ Studies suggestthat certain foods can aggravatesymptoms in an ASD child. These are foods that contain artificial dyes and preservatives, artificial flavoringsorsweeteners, andfoods containinghigh fructose corn syrup.”
Aregistered dietician can workwith the family to helpthem understand what to look for while readingthe foodlabel and how to choose whole, all-natural foods. Cohen is passionate about this issueand helps herpatients determinewhatthe righttherapeutic dietisfor them, based upon their individualneeds.
“ I treat people, not conditions,” she says. Cohen choosesanelimination dietthat“ focuses on the unique needs of the individual, whichcould include gluten, protein in casein, aswell as >
2016 EDITION | SPECIAL PARENT
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