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How can I get my toddler with autism to feed himself?

I have a toddler with Autism. He is 18 months. I want to teach him to spoon feed himself. Any tips?

Public Comments

1. My 2 year old was diagnosed at 12 months. Pay no attention to the other comment. In some kiddos it is noticeable right away. Well my son can not finger feed himself nor chew food. He still tongue mashes and swallows food. He is still on mushy stuff. He can however feed himself with a spoon, WHat we did was we sat him in his chair made him watch us take bites from the spoon, then put like a pudding in front of his with a spoon. Put his hand around the spoon and helped him lift it to his mouth. We did that over and over then eventually we would do it himself...

2. I worked with older adults for awhile and I just want to say that autism isn't a bad thing, I bet your toddler is an adorable baby and will turn out to be a wonderful person. I think that you should first try to introduce and practice things little by little, adding on. For example, have him hold the spoon, and see if he can pick it up, and then practice that for awhile, if it makes no sense to your toddler, then eat in front of him while adding on to the process. If none of these suggestions work, then keep experimenting because the learning style might be very different. Oh yes, and if your toddler gets frustrated with learning, if he can't do it right away and starts crying or something, show something to him that he can do, like if he draws, have him do that for awhile until his confidence is up again. Then continue to experiment with his learning style. This is actually really good because if you can find his niche with learning (the best way for him to learn) and the way to present it where he is most successful, he will grow a lot. If you are supportive, and loving and persistent, I am sure he will do great! You are so lucky to be able to have a beautiful baby! Good luck! Katie.