Mom Explains Why 5-Year-Old Eating First Chicken Nugget Is a Breakthrough

A mom has shared footage of her 5-year-old son eating a chicken nugget for the first time, saying it represents a significant breakthrough for her family.

For most families, a trip to Chick-fil-A is nothing to write home about. But it's different for Emily Marie Losier and son Dax, who live in Pennsylvania. Dax has autism spectrum disorder and struggles with what his mom terms "extreme food aversion."

"Dax has a very sensitive gag reflex," Losier told Newsweek. "So if he has it in his mind that he doesn't like something, no matter how it tastes, he will just throw up. I learned that lesson by trying to 'make' him taste something one time and one time only."

Losier said Dax first started to refuse certain foods when he was 2. "He would literally cover his hand with his mouth and from food he didn't want to try," she said. Instead, he insists on eating only what he considers "comfortable, safe food."

"He absolutely loves spaghetti," Losier said. "He would live on it. The only way I can get him to eat meat is ground beef in spaghetti sauce or sometimes a meatball or two. He also likes scrambled eggs, pizza, Mac 'n' cheese, french fries and most fruits. He loves watermelon."

This in itself makes life difficult for Losier as a mom trying to make sure her son enjoys a healthy and balanced diet. "He does eat gummy daily vitamins, but I still worry about his long-term health," she said.

Also, Dax "never feels full" and will "literally cry for more food that he likes no matter how much he's eaten," she said.

But what exacerbates the situation for Losier is the lack of understanding shown by many people.

When she first uploaded the videos to TikTok detailing Dax's situation, some of the responses left her upset. "I definitely feel like we need more awareness," Losier said. "Some of my comment sections are so awful, telling me I should starve him or force him to eat, and it just is not that simple."

But Dax isn't alone in experiencing these struggles with food. Cherie Miller, an eating disorder psychotherapist, said he might have an eating disorder called avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which is not an uncommon challenge for autistic kids.

"ARFID involves limitations in the amount and/or types of food a person will eat," Miller told Newsweek. "There are three common subtypes of ARFID, and they have different reasons for the restriction: sensory sensitivities, fear of bad things happening—e.g., gagging, choking, vomiting—and a general lack of appetite and an apathy towards food."

Miller said that while parents should seek the help of a therapist and dietitian specializing in eating disorders, as well as a pediatrician, parents can help address the problem.

"Treatment for these types of food issues in children does involve challenging kids to eat foods they are afraid to eat, but a gentle approach is best," she said. "That means taking things slow to give kids time to learn coping skills to manage their anxiety and offering lots of support and encouragement."

That's another element of what made Dax's breakthrough with the chicken nugget so special. It came with the love and support of his mom, who offered quiet encouragement as he took those small but significant bites.

"I was nervous right before that he would throw up all over Chick-fil-A, but when he took that bite and chewed it up, I was incredibly proud of him," Losier said. "He has had some other irrational fears that he has overcome recently—after much work—so I think that may have been boosting his confidence as well."

Losier said she originally filmed the video to share it with her family. "I was so excited after years of attempts by myself and my whole family to get him to try chicken that I wanted to video it."

She also wanted to thank the staff at the Westmoreland Mall branch of Chick-fil-A in Greensburg for providing the meal for free after learning about Dax's situation.

Losier ended up posting the clip online, partly because she wanted to offer encouragement to other parents who may be in a similar position.

"I hope that it can give some hope to other parents struggling with the same issues," she said. "Keep working with them. Keep offering. Be patient. You never know when they will wake up and decide that today they will say yes to tasting the chicken nugget."