Why Jessica Seinfeld's Controversial New Cookbook is Great for Autistic Kids

Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, has recently made headlines with the controversy surrounding her new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious. Critics are accusing Mrs. Seinfeld of plagiarizing a previously published cookbook by Missy Chase Lapine that offers recipes very similar to the ones found in Deceptively Delicious. Others complain that we are sending the wrong message to kids by "tricking" them into eating fruits and vegetables. While these facts may or may not be true, Deceptively Delicious can be an excellent resource for the parents of children diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder.

Children with autism often refuse to eat more than a handful of foods, most of which are unhealthy. As a former educator of autistic children I often implemented intense feeding programs which, believe it or not, were quite similar to the idea behind Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook. By sneaking in healthy foods your autistic child can begin to develop a taste for these undesired foods.

The feeding programs used to introduce new foods to autistic children involve mixing an enjoyable food that the child loves with an undesired, new food. For example, it is not uncommon to find an autistic child who will only eat carbohydrates or fried foods. Tossing broccoli in with the pasta won't work, since the child will simply pick the florets out. Pureeing it won't work since the color will be off and the autistic child will notice this immediately. Deceptively Delicious provides recipes that add nutritious foods without altering taste, texture or appearance. This is imperative in the world of an autistic child. Meatloaf with carrots, chocolate cake with beets, and even brownies with carrot and spinach are a few of the recipes included in the cookbook. They are cleverly disguised and although they provide a small amount of nutrients, can be for some parents of autistic children better than nothing.

Using these recipes as a starting point to introduce the food is a better idea than relying solely on deceit to get children to consume healthy food items. Gradually increase the amount of fruit or vegetables to the child if possible. The idea is to slowly introduce the foods so that they are no longer strange to the child. This is a common method used to present new foods to autistic children and will work for the typical child as well.

Deceptively Delicious may not be the wisest method to teach children how to eat healthy, but can be the perfect idea for the parent of a child with autism who does not have access to a professionally monitored feeding program.