Cheating eating

"And for his next trick, my son will eat smoked salmon with dill and capers, followed by an entire cheese board, including Roquefort and Gruyere!"

The Boy can make other parents really jealous. As they're trying desperately to get their their kids to eat a cold chicken nugget and some fries, before finally giving in to the inevitable ice cream, my eight-year-old stuffs his face with what the adults are eating - the more exotic the flavours, the better.

You name it: chilli, olives, sundried tomatoes ... whatever, he'll hoover up everything in front of him. Well, apart from apples, pears, bananas, nuts ... although I think this is a texture / smell thing. But generally, the sensation of exciting flavours seems to stimulate his senses in a very positive way.

It's something that makes me very proud and I know that, in this regard , we've got it easy. We've been told on enough occasions and we can see with our own eyes how despairing it is for parents whose kids struggle with eating for various reasons - from other neurodivergent conditions right through to just fussy. What's more, The Boy has passed this gift onto his brother and the two of them shovel food like there's no tomorrow.

It's a pleasure to watch my son demolish a cheese board

The thing is, of course, the "shovel" is a preferable feeding implement to conventional cutlery. For the dyspraxic kid, the act of getting both hands working on different things with a knife and fork (prod and saw, prod and saw) is a co-ordination nightmare. The adaptive cutlery and occupational therapy have helped, but it's been limited. Instead, he cuts a few pieces of food under duress and then just forks it with his right hand into a half-closed mouth, rendering his face covered in the contents of the exotic dish in front of him.

It must drive him potty ("no fingers! Fork, please! Wide open mouth!") the amount of demands his parents place on him at mealtime. Occasionally, he'll have a good day or we'll make a conscious effort to ignore it for the sake of family dinner unity ... but I'd say we don't do very well and could create a very anxious eater if we're not careful.

This blog is yet another plea ... if anyone (adults with dyspraxia, other parents, occupational therapists etc) have any tips on how to make it easier for him - how the only focus will be on what he eats not how he does it - then please let me know. Whether tips for what we should say or any interventions, answers below or via Twitter (@dyspraxiadad) please...