Lunch? Who needs lunch, anyway?

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I don't really have any advice, but I'd like to try to offer some personal insight. I don't eat lunch at work because it forces me to transition into "eating mode" and then back into "work mode" both in about half an hour. If I sit down and eat a proper lunch, stay out of the classroom for a while, chat with coworkers, it is frequently very difficult for me to get back to running in full "work mode." I have started, like Ilka's daughter, I find that I do much better throughout the latter half of the day if I just have a snack that doesn't kick me out of "work mode." Sitting down for a meal can be such a disruptive thing compared to having a snack that will carry me home to more serious food I can focus on.

Hope this helps.

I used to always skip lunch because it was so overcrowded in there....all those people, the noise was unbearable.
I would just get sensory overloaded then I was not hungry.

Maybe you should ask for an accomidation for him to eat in a class room that no one is using...a few friends could join but that is all.
Overstimulation can really ruin an appetite.
Plus if he is a picky eater...all that overstimulation plus having to eat is just too much to expect.

Jojo

My 7yo Aspie is a picky eater too. I'd love to able to prep his lunchbox the night before but i run the risk of him changing his mind as to what sandwich filling he wants So i make his lunchbox up in the morning and consult him on the contents. He's GFCF so i make a lot of his food from scratch. It also helps that we have a PlanetBox lunchbox which is a single stainless steel box with built in compartments- keeps things separated and can be put in an insulated bag to keep things cool and fresh. I sometimes send im with re-useable plastic containers but keeping track of all the lids get him frustrated and he asks for the PlanetBox. If you google the name PlanetBox Lunchbox you'll get their website.

If his sandwich is squished or has fillings falling out it wont get eaten! Ive also told him how skipping lunch effects his moods, he's always grouchy and upset when i pick him up on days when he hasn't eaten. And i say 'i bet you forgot to eat all your food today" and he looks at me wide-eyed like im psychic! So when we say our goodbyes in the morning i remind him to eat his lunch and sometimes i ask him if he'd like me to draw an L on the back of his hand to remind him- when he was younger he'd ask for the L but now he says he'd like to 'try to remember by myself.'

We had a break through the other week when he was feeling miserable and grumpy and his teacher was trying to identify what the problem was... he piped up with "Oh! I forgot to EAT!" and she was happy to let him go and eat some food right away. We (the teacher and I) were both really happy that he was able to make that connection between his energy levels and mood, instead of getting stuck in a sullen mood and taking it out on everyone else.