Fun fact time! Do you know that 75% of the world’s food comes from 12 plants and 5 animal species? For all you proud Irish people that are reading this, I’m happy to report that potatoes are one of those plants! I had thought of this fun fact because it reminded me that my food sources were even more limited than 12 plants and 5 animals as a kid.
What a lot of people might not know is that Autistic kids could have one of two types of sensitivity inputs; hypersensitive and hyposensitive.
Hypersensitivity is when a person has more sensory stimuli.
Hyposensitivity is the opposite, where a person gets little to no sensory stimuli.
I have hypersensitivity when it comes to sounds and smells. Imagine it as a radio with a higher volume than usual or sitting next to a person wearing waaaay too much perfume/cologne, but it happens. Every. Single. Day! Over the years I learned how to manage it, but it was really bad as a kid, especially with food. Smell is about 80% responsible for what we taste, but when your nose is more sensitive to smells than average, it applies to taste too.
Bland flavours were my go-to food as a kid, like bread or plain biscuits. Not the healthiest choice, but it was better than starving to death. I used to freak out when something new was introduced or my parents tried to sneak in an unauthorised vegetable. When I saw new food that I was not mentally prepared for, I went into a tailspin, as I would treat the food like questionable leftovers at the back of a fridge for who knows how long. Nowadays I’m more open with food, especially when I cook or bake them. I found if I know what’s in the food and go at my own pace, I’m more adventurous. Everyone has their own pace and strategy with food, as long as it’s a safe approach then I say good for them!
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