Autism & Applesauce

     As I've said before, one characteristic that can be present in autism is food sensitivities. One of the things I've never been able to eat is applesauce, even when I was a kid. I tried to make myself like it when I was younger. I wanted to like it. I couldn't do it. It made me gag. I couldn't stand the texture of it in my mouth. As I've grown older, some of my sensitivities have lessened. One of the ones that was always constant was applesauce. I remember an incident when I had low blood sugar and desperately needed a snack. All my friend had with her was, you guessed it, applesauce. I was refusing to eat it. She told me I was going to eat it, or she was going to force feed it to me. So I ate it, trying so hard not to let it touch my tongue. It was an awful process, and I hated it. 

     Well, today I got the urge to be brave. The kids I work with at the preschool were having applesauce as part of their lunch. I don't know what compelled me to do this, but I decided I was going to try to eat some it. I got a small portion on my plate and attempted my experiment. I managed to eat 6 bites of the applesauce before it started making me gag! That may not seem impressive or a big deal to you. But for me, it is a major personal victory! I was able to eat a little bit of a food I've never been able to eat without being in anguish. For a person with autism to gain a victory like this is considered a big step. It felt really good, especially because it was my idea to try it in the first place. Now I'm not saying I'm going to be eating applesauce anytime again soon, but it's not as bad as it used to be. That's something!

"I live in the same world you do; I just experience it differently. I am a human being with feelings, just like you; I just express them in my own way." ~Me~