There is a good reason why my Autistic son drinks from a sippy cup. It's not that he is incapable of drinking from a "big boy" cup, it's just that an open cup with fluid in it becomes a big temptation to cause huge messes.Of course there is the uncontrollable draw towards dumping the drink into his dinner, or the delight in methodically pouring the drink onto the floor. Another reason for a closed cup is that Tanner is a dipper. If at all possible, he will dip whatever he is eating into something liquid. A sandwich will be dipped into a cup of milk or water, the same goes for a taco or meatloaf or scrambled eggs. It's gross! Imagine dipping your salad in your Diet Coke before you eat it. I try to provide a side of dipping sauce, like ranch dressing or ketchup, with his meals but inevitably he grabs MY drink and dunks his spaghetti into it.
At times I question why the boy likes mushy bread or soaked fish sticks or dunked pizza. By all means he will eat anything, including non-edibles like candles, chalk and dirt clods, so why does he have to make good food so gross? I don't know....But I DO know that if I leave scraps in the sink, like crusts, tomato butts, potato peelings, Tanner will scoop them up and chow down.
So for lunch today I will prepare whatever he picks out and I won't forget the ketchup...so he can dip his grapes.
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