Autism Spectrum Disorder, high-functioning) to help deal with her meltdowns:



If you haven't taken him to a professional who specializes in this area, you should. A professional can give you the specific tools you need to help. Parenting books give advice that works for "normal" kids, and that same advice can be the opposite of what you should do for a kid with these kinds of issues.

I have another kid who's extremely sensitive to textures/colors/sounds, and has to wear earplugs to sleep at night (even with having her own room) and take Melatonin. She still has a very limited palate, although she can force herself to muscle down textures she hates (e.g., pasta, vegetables, soups) in order to be polite. We've gotten better able to deal with it over the years, so that it isn't a constant irritation, but I don't think it's ever going to go away. Again, it's been really, really important for us to have professional advice to help us know what limits and expectations are reasonable, and what things we need to accommodate.

I wish you all the best on your journey with this child.