For parents with preemies...

Does anyone out there have a 3-year-old child that absolutely refuses to chew and must be served pureed food even though he/she has teeth? Besides this, my son also won't talk except for a word or two here and there. He was born at 24.6 weeks gestation and weighed 2#, 3 oz. He has seen many specialists, and both his mother and I are in different fields of health care, but nothing seems to work. We have tried getting other kids to show him how to eat a cookie by chewing it. He still will only take a small piece and let it soak in his mouth until he can swallow it. If anyone out there has had similar problems, I would really, really, really appreciate hearing what you are doing or have done to solve the problem.

Have you considered, or already seen, a developmental/behavioral specialist? Has he had followup with a neonatology specialist? Does he have any physical or developmental delays?

Originally Posted by bigjej

Have you considered, or already seen, a developmental/behavioral specialist? Has he had followup with a neonatology specialist? Does he have any physical or developmental delays?

DITTO!!!

My ex's daughter won't eat anything but pasta and PB & J and a couple of other things. CPS has been called in by the school due to her diet and a few other non-abuse/possible neglect issues, told them to get her tested, and they've done nothing.

When the baby was born-at normal term-their doctor told them nothing but breast milk for the first 12 months, then a very odd schedule of introducing new foods, which have totally FAILED with this kid.

The kid is in Jr. High...and STILL won't eat.

Both cases sound like some autism spectrum disorders to me. Autistic children tend to HATE change, and dislike certain tastes, textures, and smells, etc.

Whoah... gotta be careful before using the A label because it can really create a lot of problems just by bringing it up prematurely. There are plenty of very plausible explanations for both scenarios that have nothing to do with autism. A diagnosis cannot be made on the internet, let alone a reptile forum. I would highly recommend finding a specialist as mentioned above.

Originally Posted by SamanthaJane13

Both cases sound like some autism spectrum disorders to me. Autistic children tend to HATE change, and dislike certain tastes, textures, and smells, etc.

NOT making a diagnosis.

"Sound like" is NOT a diagnosis.

I have several friends who have children with autism spectrum disorders, and MOST of them exhibit the "taste, texture, smell" issues.

Just putting it out there.

Originally Posted by bigjej

I would highly recommend finding a specialist as mentioned above.

To which I replied-

DITTO!!

I know that you were not making a diagnosis but what you have to realize is that once you even hint at a possible diagnosis, a lot of damage is done. what the OP stated in his story is a far cry from the stereotypical behaviors exhibited by autistic children. just as likely is any number of other far more benign causes.

To put things into perspective, imagine the follow scenario. You come here saying you found a strange looking pimple on your back and to that I reply, go right away to see your dermatologist because it might be a basal cell carcinoma.
Now while that might be correct, it is faaar less likely than at least a dozen other, fairly benign diagnoses - such as a clogged pore, simple acne cyst, birth mark, cellulitis, etc. However even though I never said IT IS a cancer, the only thing you are thinking for the next 15 doctor visits is, " Oh my God I might have cancer. "
You see what I mean. I know you intent no harm but this is the internet, and it is someones child's health, so words are powerful.

I appreciate everyone's input. My wife is an RN and I'm an RD who started out his career at the women's and children's center at one of the medical centers where we used to live. I've barely been able to keep him from getting a PEG tube installed for feedings. As far as autism spectrums, he does show a few signs and symptoms, such as fascination with his hands, but that is about it. He makes very good eye contact and there are several other behaviors he does that autistic children typically do not do. His main problem is oral motor skills. He was intubated over and over and over in the NICU because he was the "only baby they had ever seen autoextubate himself" according to the nursing staff. On one of the final episodes, there was blood on the end of the tube, so I told the CRNP working there they needed to figure out a way to keep that tube in, and I would not allow another intubation if he pulled it out again. The next day, another nurse who worked at a different hospital as well as the one we were in brought a neobar from her NICU. It tapes to each side of the face and has a bar located over the top lip they can tie the endotracheal tube off with. They also put socks on his hands so he could not grip the tube anymore, and viola, the tube stayed in until they were ready to take it out.
I think the trauma of being reintubated over and over (I'm talking 4 or 5 times daily for 3 months) has caused a short circuit in the oral motor area (Broca's?) of his brain because he doesn't really even speak baby talk anymore. It is almost like word salad, sort of like Wiernicki's encephalopathy with end-stage etoh-abuse). Sometimes I can listen closely, and he is actually saying several words in a typical sentence all ran together. One of his more common expressions is "howdoin?" or "whereyougoin?" but they are said so fast it sounds like gibberish to the "untrained" ear.
He is being seen by an OT, an ST, and a PT on a weekly basis, but the progress is minimal at best. I was just hoping someone else out there had a similar child that is doing something they deemed helpful. It is really getting to be extremely difficult to take care of a toddler stuck at the baby level of development for the past 2 years. He has developmental delays in almost everything he has beeen tested in, and recently was placed in pre-kindergarten along with some other children who have similar problems, but only one of them requires pureed food, and I believe that young man has CP, so he is in another field altogether.
I sure thank you all for your replies.

The OP asked for advice. Perhaps SamanthaJane had a similar experience and autism was the outcome for her case.
Honestly, talking about something isn't going to mess stuff up. Either the kid has autism or he doesn't.
Not saying the "A" word won't help. You have to look at all possible causes for the behavior.
Autism is not the end of the world. Autistic kids can be, and often are, just as smart as other kids, but display behavioral problems we consider to be "unacceptable", or they are a little slower than most.
How do I know this? ...because several of my family members (cousins) are autistic. You'd never know if I hadn't told you. :/
And while in your scenario cancer is not likely, this is one of the many reasons pap smears are done for women: it's all about PREVENTATIVE care. Going in to see a doctor with concerns--even far fetched ones--is far better than letting that "pimple" on your back turn into a stage 4 melanoma...:/
Most women don't get cervical cancer yet we get pap smears every few years.
It's preventative, again.
Words are indeed powerful, but only if you take them as such.