9/7/2023 0 Comments Autism meltdown adult![]() ![]() Now account for racism, classism, ableism and other systems of oppression. Also, imagine what food/drinks you can access being outside your food culture(s) because those foods are now unaffordable ( looking at you, quinoa industry). While some readers may experience this directly, I want those that don’t, or aren’t sure, to imagine you had less access to nutritious foods/drinks just because of where you live, your income, and because you don’t have a car. Moving on, there’s another difference between the above and food insecurity, food deserts, and food cultures as they intersect with these hypersensitivities. That said, what should we, especially referring to Autistic people, do with this information moving forward? The Cleveland Clinic lists headaches, gas or bloating, and irritability or nervousness, among others, as symptoms of a food intolerance and not a food allergy. Lastly, a food intolerance, such as one to gluten, may have some overlap in physiological reactions, such as stomach discomfort, but the people who have them never risk developing anaphylactic shock and may have different symptoms. Given the difficulty in predicting when allergies show up by age, and the increased risk of eating disorders in Autistic adults, especially Autistic people on restrictive diets, please be careful before recommending a restrictive diet. This is potentially more harmful if the Autistic person in question is repeatedly exposed to these triggers and other stressors, from discrimination as well as systematic oppression to violence and chronic/mental illness/ (other) unaccommodated disabilities and potential other forms of (dis)stress.Īdditionally, the Mayo Clinic describes food allergies as a series of potential physiological reactions to one or more unsafe foods whose reactions include: tingling of the mouth itching hives eczema outbreaks swelling stomach discomfort, nausea and vomiting diarrhea abdominal pain dizziness, lightheadedness, and/or fainting and trouble breathing. A person whose dietary sensitivities have been triggered or activated may become: restless, angry, overwhelmed, nervous, or otherwise upset stim more frequently or more intensely (especially if they have a trauma history) whether or not there is a formal diagnosis begin to gag, vomit, or forcefully remove the food from their mouth or the table/surface they’re eating at or on, regardless of what is happening around them or expected of them be unable to focus on their environment get up abruptly from where they’re eating and at the very least move to a different part of the home or environment and enter into or ebb and flow between any stage or intensity of overstimulation, sensory overload, Autistic meltdown, shutdown, or burnout depending on the circumstances. ![]() Sometimes called sensory gating, habituation is the process of blocking out all sensory input except the input that you want to experience. ![]() ![]() Green et al., as cited by Zelidadt, indicated this may be, in-part, due to struggles with habituation. As an Autistic social worker with over 20 years of picky eating, here’s what I know.Ī dietary hypersensitivity is a potential risk for neurological, sensory, and emotional reactions to the sensory input that we take in. I will also discuss food cultures, food deserts, and food insecurity. In this article, I will define the difference between a dietary hypersensitivity, a food allergy, and a food intolerance. Please note that not everyone with a food sensitivity has every trait. ![]()
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