Eating, drinking and diet for neurodivergent children and young people

Eating and food

It's good to encourage a healthy, balanced diet for your child or young person. A healthy balanced diet will help them get all the nutrients they need to develop and grow.

Many neurodivergent children and young people have issues with food or drink. Some can forget to eat or drink water. This can be because they do not understand the signals their bodies sends them like when they are hungry, thirsty or full. 

We recommend offering a range of healthy foods for your child or young person to eat. Some children struggle to eat a range of different foods. They can become stuck eating the same foods everyday. This is usually food like pre-formed meat, potato based foods, high fat foods or foods.

It's important to keep encouraging your child to eat a range of different foods. Don't give up! 

If you can, try to introduce new foods in a relax environment. Try not to apply too much pressure to eat different foods. It's important for children and young people to have a healthy relationship with food. Arguing about eating can cause your child or young person to think negatively about food.

Common food concerns

Neurodivergent children and young people can struggle with food for lots of reasons. This can include:

• chewing things or mouthing
• using food to help them focus
• only eating foods with specific textures or tastes
• fixed patterns of food
• requiring the food must be presented in a specific way like peas not touching carrots
• preferring foods to be 'wet' or 'dry'
• preferring a specific brand of food
• eating non-food items

Neurodivergent people can be very sensitive to their senses. Mealtimes can be really hard for neurodivergent children and young people. There are lots of different textures, smells and tastes. This can make mealtimes stressful. 

Not eating enough food

Some neurodivergent children and young people can find it difficult to eat enough food. This is common in ADHD children and young people on stimulant medications. It can be concerning when you feel your child or young person is not eating enough food. 

Keep an eye on your child’s weight gain and growth. This is the best way to see if your child is obtaining enough energy and nutrients from the food they eat. You should be able to plot your child’s weight gain and growth in their red book. If you have concerns about your child’s growth speak to a health professional.

Strategies to encourage your child or young person to eat more food:

Serve smaller portions. A full plate of food can be overwhelming to children and young people with poor appetites. This can make them less likely to try eating. Smaller portions are an easier goal for them to meet. If your child or young person is too hungry, they can ask for more food. You can help by cutting sandwiches diagonally or in quarters. For foods like a burger, you can cut it in half and serve 1 half a time. 

Focus on foods with lots of nutrients in. Some children or young people struggle to eat a full meal. They may only eat around 6 bites of their food. It's important to make sure those 6 bites are filled with calories and nutrients. Foods like cheese, peanut butter and chicken are all full of nutrients. You can increase the calories of vegetables by serving them with melted cheese, such as broccoli and cheese or cauliflower and cheese.

Use full-fat foods. If your household uses low-fat dressings or semi-skimmed milk, try using dressings with a higher fat content or whole milk. If you bake you can add nuts and raisins or use wholegrain flour instead of white flour. 

Give them the high calorie and high nutrient foods first. For example, if the meal contains chicken, potatoes, green beans and salad, serve the chicken and potatoes first. Once they have finished the chicken and potatoes you can offer them the green beans and salad. It's important not to overwhelm your child or young person with food. 

Make breakfast the most important meal of the day. This may mean making a non-traditional breakfast like sandwiches. You can use whole-wheat bread to add more nutrients. You could give them their favourite food for breakfast.

Don't worry about school lunches. You can provide them a packed lunch, but you cannot control what they eat or don't eat at school. They may eat more in the afternoon or evening if they skip lunch. It's common for ADHD medication to affect appetite around lunchtime. 

Keep lots of nutritious snacks. Your child or young person may not be able to eat an entire meal but eat lots of little snacks throughout the day. They may also get hungry at unexpected times. You can keep bowls of nuts or raisins around the house. Prepare their favourite fruits or vegetables and keep them in the fridge. You may even find it helpful to prepare a plate of foods your child or young person likes. For example a bowl of cooked pasta in their favourite sauce or meats, cheeses and dessert. If you put these in the fridge overnight it can be encouraging for them to eat if they get hungry during the night.

Don't argue about food. It can cause a your child to develop a negative connection with food which can make it harder for them to eat. Your child or young person isn't refusing food to upset you. Try to be flexible and calm. Praise your child or young person when they do eat.

Drinking and hydration

Some children or young people can find it hard to stay hydrated. This is not because they're lazy, careless or don't care about their health. They may struggle to drink regularly for a variety of reasons like:

• forgetting to bring their water bottle
• forgetting they have a water bottle
• being distracted by a task or activity

It's very important to encourage your child or young person to stay hydrated. Drinking water helps our brains and bodies to work.