This article is on a difficult subject carrying an extremely difficult question, can an autistic child starve themselves?

It isn’t a flippant question by any stretch as many parents in our position have become extremely concerned about our children’s diets.

But how far can it go? Could tragically it result in one of our children dying? Well extremely sadly it can.

Autism and starving themselves

Many if not all readers of this article would have experienced an autistic child with a limited diet.

Some would have experienced a child who barely eats at all.

Both of these circumstances are stressful but it is the latter which has led to tragic consequences.

A lot of autistic children have limited food preferences, sometimes focusing on a single type of food for extended periods.

This is called Selective Eating Disorder (SED) and it can result in a number of health issues.

Some autistic children can also even have difficulty recognising hunger cues.

How bad can it get?

I am hovering over the keyboard when considering telling this story.

Firstly I don’t want to scare any readers and secondly I don’t want to be disrespectful to the family.

But ultimately we all should know what the risks are with an autistic child with a very limited diet.

So this article is in reaction to some really sad news circulating autism circles at the moment.

Alfie Nicholls

On December 17, 2021 a beautiful young boy named Alfie Nicholls passed away due to malnutrition as a result from his restricted diet.

Alfie, who was nonverbal, sadly died at the age of seven following a cardiac arrest.

An inquest into his death was held at South Manchester Coroner’s Court in Stockport recently.

The court heard that Alfie’s mother Lucy Morrison, 31, had gone to hospital with Alfie, and on several occasions to his doctor, because she knew something was wrong.

However, problems with his diet were not identified by medical professionals.

They shockingly who failed to spot that he was extremely malnourished and told his mother, that it was “part of his autism”.

Alfie died tragically, having collapsed at home, Manchester Evening News reports.

It was not until after his death that he was diagnosed with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

As many will know this is not uncommon in children with autism but was not detected by medics.

The coroner criticised doctors for not spotting Alfie’s malnutrition until after his death and Stepping Hill Hospital management have since apologised to Alfie’s family for the ‘missed opportunities’ to help him.

In addition there were criticisms made of the school.

Throughout the school day, Alfie was reported to consume only ‘a few biscuits and a little bit of water,’ with no interaction with the school nurse and a lack of effort to assess his dietary habits or quantities, as disclosed in court.

Summary – Can an autistic child starve themselves

Alfie’s story is rare but it is a telling message to all of us dealing with autistic children.

His courageous mother stated herself that my more parents should know about this condition and be provided more support.

So whilst we would never try to install fear into any stressed parents, we should all know the risks.

Reach out to support groups, medical practitioners and dietitians if you are concerned for your child.

Hopefully with time and support you can improve your child’s eating behaviour.

Good luck.

Any tips or ideas?

We would love to hear from you if you have got any techniques or ideas for our readers to try.

Be sure to leave a comment if any of the above has helped or if you have any ideas we can add to this article.

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Try for example searching below for topics like ‘meltdown’ or ‘communication’.