Autisme en eetproblemen

by Thomas Fondelli

Eten is voor de meeste mensen heel vanzelfsprekend. We doen het verschillende keren per dag zonder erbij na te denken. Bovendien genieten we er vaak ook van.
Voor sommige mensen met autisme ligt dat helemaal anders. Eten blijkt voor hen vaak een ware opdracht, een parcours bezaaid met struikelblokken en andere hindernissen die ze moeten overwinnen.

Autisme en eetproblemen bestaat uit twee delen.
In het eerste deel wordt een kader aangereikt dat inzicht probeert te bieden in hoe eetproblemen ontstaan bij mensen met autisme en waarom deze problemen zo hardnekkig zijn. De focus ligt daarbij vooral op mensen met autisme die te weinig of nauwelijks gevarieerd eten.
In het tweede deel van het boek worden tal van handvatten aangereikt om mensen met autisme te ondersteunen in het leren eten.

Genres: Nonfiction

126 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2012

Reviews

[Carmen (TheReadingTrashQueen) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am torn about this book. It doesn't specify on the back that it focuses on children and that you need a bit of imagination to apply it to adults, so it wasn't as helpful to me as I had hoped and expected it to be. In fact, only the theory was of interest to me. As someone who has autism herself I couldn't apply the 'tips and tricks' as it were to myself, nor could I see my young self in the examples shown. I feel that's because this book seems to focus on kids with (more) severe autism than me, for example. But perhaps I'm just too out of touch with what it was like to be a kid.

Though the tips to help your child learn to eat were useless to myself, I did find them very well thought out, and they shone of respect to the children. I wish he gave a broader view of the spectrum (not all of us throw/threw tantrums or lashed out when we were kids whenever we didn't like something), but all in all I think this could be a very helpful book; just not for adults.

I also have to say I don't agree with Fondelli's view on tasting. Some things you grow to love, yes, but there will always be things you do. not. like. As in, rather stab your eyeballs than eat it. Learning them to eat such things anyway so society will have less of a problem with them sits wrong with me. Speaking of, that was the thing that bothers me the most: the posed hypothesis he works with.

"To help someone find the courage and confidence to eat in such a way that they can stay medically healthy and that they won't become more of a social outcast."

I agree with the health part of course, but the social part makes my hackles rise. Naturally you want kids to have friends and be happy, but that doesn't mean a kid with autism is the only one who has to force himself/be forced to adapt to fit in, while the NT kids get a free pass. Educate the other kids. Explain why some children are different, and that you shouldn't tease/bully/laugh at them for it, but accept them instead.

I'm giving it three stars, for the insightful theoretic part and helpful tips. I just can't give it a higher rating for the above reasons.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zeer handig boek en bruikbaar voor in de praktijk, fijn dat het ook gericht was op kinderen met autisme en mentale beperking op verschillende niveaus. Heb hier wel enkele inzichten en handvaten uit kunnen halen die ik kan meenemen in mijn beroepsleven 🙃

[Kim Reuvers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessante weetjes en tips waar je hopelijk mee verder kan. Luchtig geschreven.