Food Sensitivities: The Severity of the Situation

Jauné
Oct 21, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Apr 1

Food SensitivitiesJaune

0:00

Little girl holding a mask — Unmasking tantrums

This lesson learned has to be one of the most valuable pieces of information I can share with anyone. I’ll spare you the long-winded saga this topic usually takes me on, and instead, I’ll highlight the problems, the signs, and the resolution.

Out of all my children, none had as many emotional outbursts as Artsy. Her outbursts often looked like a bratty child not getting her way or being frustrated with a task or request. And let me tell you, these fits didn’t have a schedule or limit. They could happen anytime, anywhere, and the intensity was always high. On a scale of 1 to 10— with 10 being self-harming or destructive—Artsy’s episodes would easily hit a 7, minimum. It sometimes sounded like she was being burned alive or ripped apart from the inside. And, yes, it was as dramatic as it sounds.

Now, let’s dive into some clues we missed along the way that caused these episodes:

Constipation:

We didn’t realize it at the time, but Artsy was terribly constipated. Now, when I say “constipated,” you might think she didn’t go every day. Sure, there were a couple of days like that, but the real issue was the texture of her stool. Even when she went daily, it looked like something straight out of a comic book—specifically Rock Man from Fantastic Four. (Yes, I went there.) It was a big red flag that we just didn’t catch.

Growth Percentile:

Growth charts may not matter much to most people, but they raised questions for us. Our first daughter was always in the 90th percentile for height, and the rest of the family is also above average. So when Artsy hovered around the 50th–60th percentile, it made us go, “Hmmm.” Now, this isn’t impossible, but looking at all the pieces together, it became questionable in hindsight.

Decrease in Appetite:

Another sign was a decrease in Artsy’s appetite. Seems obvious, right? But keep in mind that, being on the spectrum, she naturally finds food textures challenging. What made this particularly concerning for us was that the foods she once loved became a battleground. She went from a kid who would eat just about anything to one who only wanted rice and chicken. It turns out there was a reason behind her sudden pickiness.

Impending Doom:

Another food allergy symptom we noticed was a sense of impending doom. This often happened after eating and sometimes wouldn’t show up until the next morning. It was bizarre to witness—her eyes would look wild, she’d jump away from her brother, and she’d frantically try to escape the house. Even now, just thinking about it brings back that same sense of dread. I remember wondering, "My God, baby, what is your life coming to?"

It reminded me of movies where people are institutionalized because they become a danger to themselves. My thoughts spiraled to scary, fearful places, and then to feelings of failure—why, as her mother, hadn’t I figured out what was causing this? Yet, I kept my tears and fears bottled up inside.

The Biggest Takeaway:

I won’t walk you through all the challenges Artsy faced over the years because we didn’t realize these issues stemmed from food sensitivities. This is a significant problem, especially since we often take for granted what neurotypical children can express, like saying, “My stomach hurts” or “I don’t like that food.”

We might dismiss food rejection as a developmental issue related to texture, but there’s another layer: poor or unwanted behavior that can stem from feeling “off.” For children who are hypersensitive to sensations, a food sensitivity can feel like a slow death—and trust me, it sounds like it too.

So, test your child for allergies! None of Artsy’s results weren't off-the-charts, but wheat (a.k.a. gluten) was the highest. Milk was also a trigger, though not as severe. I mention this because Artsy can have milk, but if she has too much, it leads to an episode of pain. If you remember 2 thing as a guardian to help your child try to remember these 2 rhymes: