Autism Vox

April 10th, 2008

Share and Share Alike

With a “Mom,” Charlie summoned me to sit beside him at the kitchen table last night. He was eating a pack of salmon and California roll sushi and when I sat down, he handed me a piece. “Give Mom!”
I assured him, thank you, but I didn’t want to take away from his dinner.
“Give Mom sushi,” […]

By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 13 comments

April 3rd, 2008

The AAP Looks Into Biomed (and I throw out the xanthan gum)

So the American Academy of Pediatrics has met with leaders of advocacy groups, including Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America, and also with “representatives of Defeat Autism Now! (a program of the Autism Research Institute) in an effort to facilitate communication between pediatricians, parents and researchers about the diagnosis and treatment of children […]

By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 9 comments

March 26th, 2008

Don’t Forget the Breakfast

Eat your breakfast and (if you’re an adolescent) you’re less likely to become overweight, according to a recent study in Pediatrics (March 2008) of adolescents from Minneapolis-St. Paul public schools (here’s a write-up in the New York Times, too.) Charlie definitely eats, and definitely needs, his breakfast—but he’s never ready to eat it before getting […]

By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 11 comments

March 23rd, 2008

Just Stick to the Squeeze Bottle

Charlie’s long had a liking for ketchup and when eating French fries, asks me about every other minute “Mom, I want ketchup, ketchup please!”. But I think we could do without this device—–Charlie also likes relish and talk about something a mother doesn’t want to see splatted on the wall! (Or even the table, or […]

By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 6 comments

March 13th, 2008

Special Diet, Charlie Style

There was a time (mercifully brief) when Charlie would only eat chocolate chip cookies. This was back in the spring of 1999: We had just taken him (permanently, though we did not yet know it) out of daycare, where he was known to “carbo load” on biscuits, pancakes, and the like. We were living in […]

By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 19 comments

February 14th, 2008

Whatever You Eat, Love Conquers All

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, the February 13th New York Times had an article about romantic relationships that persevere in the face of great differences—-vegetarians/vegans falling for carni/omnivores:

Sharing meals has always been an important courtship ritual and a metaphor for love. But in an age when many people define themselves by what they will eat […]

By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 9 comments

January 25th, 2008

Sushi Scare?

My son Charlie, as I’ve noted more than a few times, loves sushi. So has my worry quotient gone up in light of the recent reports about high mercury levels in tuna sushi?

Well, no.

First, while Charlie sometimes choose a “waikiki pack” with some tuna sushi, his preference is for salmon, California rolls, shrimp, and eel. […]

By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 16 comments