[quote]krebcycle wrote:
I work in education and used to spend some of my time working with Autistic and Aspergers kids. From my experience it’s not very likely that you will be able to change his behaviouri f it is something that he seems set in stone about. If you want him to eat Veg then being deceptive is probably the way to go unfortunately.[/quote]
Yeah that’s probably the way we’re going to have to go. I haven’t introduced him to work out shakes yet, but that sounds like a fantastic idea to get him to ingest something he is leery of. I won’t tell him “all” of what’s in it, I’ll just tell him it’s like a strawberry or chocolate milkshake. Play it off as a reward for doing so good with the exercising, he can only have one if he completes his exercises etc He’s not a moron though so I’m going to have to show him the packaging or the informational stuff posted online so he can reassure himself that it’s fine. I’ll have to get creative with the preparation and if I add vegetable juice I’ll have to make sure it’s when he’s doing something else.
[quote]Darkane wrote:
Is he very curious? I’d start him off as said prior - with one vegetable at a time.
Next time he’s around, And hungry (important), Eat some baby carrots with ranch dip. Make sure they’re fresh and cool and wet. They look more appetizing this way.
Eat them in front of him and Over-exaggerate the response. Like, oh my god these are the best carrots I’ve ever had, especially with this dip.
Shit like that, if he’s curious he might ‘try’ one.
Good luck. [/quote]
Noooo, definitely not curious. He’s had a long time to get the idea into his head that all vegetables are to be avoided. He’s incredibly intelligent when a topic interests him and he knows more “facts” than anyone I know (and tends to blurt them out when he hits what his parents call a “trigger”). Generally he spends all day sitting at a computer just doing…research I guess. He reads science articles, stuff that MIT, Harvard, Stanford etc put out. He just has a bit of a problem with some things that make him anxious or nervous. He avoids boats going into the ocean, but will happily float around on a lake. The best comparison I can think of off the top of my head, if any of you had to see the movie Dear John with your significant other, Johns Dad seems to have the same kind of thing going on. He can be convinced to leave the house, but if something makes him anxious or nervous he will try to get back there as fast as he can while trying to manage a panic attack. He really is a great guy, just different than I’m used to.
[quote]BiP wrote:
Have you tried convincing him to start eating just one type of a vegetable? Taking baby steps might be helpful if you haven’t tried it.
Also, tomatoes suck. I have to admit they’re the only vegetables I have complete aversion to in non-processed form.[/quote]
Nope, his mental faculty/acuity is keen enough that he knows what the different vegetables etc are. His diet is very…obsessive…he doesn’t get a lot of variety at all because he eats what he’s comfortable with. He doesn’t eat out and doesn’t eat at other peoples houses very often because people get tired of trying to manage his strange dietary restrictions and it makes him nervous trying to explain to people whats going on. I really wish this was something that was better understood, there are a lot of patient people around but if someone gets frustrated with him he thinks its his fault and it causes him to retreat even further. The first few months here were tough getting used to it and he stopped talking to me more than a few times before I dedicated more time to reading up on this stuff and talking to people about it.
[quote]Nards wrote:
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing that you shouldn’t put one in a fruit salad.[/quote]
LOL!
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Much kudos to you OP for turning this guy onto exercise.
I have done a fair amount of volunteer work with autistic/aspergers kids in the past and found it to be rewarding stuff.
It looks to me that you have 2 choices:
- Juice up some veg and pass it off as a fruit smoothie, etc.
- ‘Hide’ some Superfood in other media such as workout drink, etc.
Ethically, one could argue that you are practicing deception, but on the flipside, he is not a fully responsible adult and cannot make his own informaed choices.
Even so, you need to think carefully before you do deceive him - it can be a slippery slope - even if it is for his own benefit.
How is he with pills? Vitamins, Om3, minerals in pill form are still acceptible if m=not as ‘good’ as the real thing.
BBB[/quote]
I’m Ok with the ethical part of the whole thing. I think your suggestion is the one that has the most merit. He is fine with taking pills, I can make up a list of stuff for his parents to buy. He’s not hugely mentally handicapped, just a bit different. I’m certain I can find a way to pass off a smoothie or post work out shake as a reward. I haven’t been drinking them myself and that’ll be a good way to get him going with it too. I’ll look up the Superfood stuff and see what I can come up with.
So far as introducing him to exercise, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I do my own physical therapy stuff every other day and he was interested. At first he just watched (stared), then he asked questions (obsessively detailed), and then asked if he could try it. I guided him through basic movements and exercises with the limited equipment I have and now it’s something we both do together.
[quote]bwbski wrote:
tomato’s are not a veggie they are a fruit. also what did he go to jail for?[/quote]
He didn’t, I probably worded that poorly. I’m the one that went to jail. Long story, it was for something I didn’t do, someone else was looking to avoid a burglary charge and accused me of assault, local PD didn’t follow procedure and for some reason the state took the case anyway, 8 months later during the trial in the local supreme court the officer admitted that he didn’t do his job, the “victims” were caught lying on the stand and I was acquitted.
Want to thank everyone for the help and the suggestions. It means a lot to know that there are understanding people out there that are willing to help out.