I need help with my daughter sneaking food

[brivile]

My 11yr old daughter has a social spectrum disorder and she is constantly sneaking food and also other things like vitamins or over the counter pain relievers. What is the best way to get her to stop?  I have tried punishment, counseling, and hiding everything but nothing seems to work.

[Sandman2]

I know that with adhd (I am also the add/adhd CL), a child on medication is not hungry until the meds wear off and then they are very hungry.  And many times this is after supper is over.   Any chance this is medication related?
  What time of the day is she sneaking food?  and what kind of foods?   The normal answer if they are growing.  Let them eat.  Just make sure that the only food they can get is good, healthy food.
   The pain meds are different.  First, you need to know if she has a reason.  Second, what type of pain meds and how much ?  Some are very dangerous and some are not in the right amounts.  Must should be taken with food to prevent stomach problems.    She is old enough to be made aware of the dangers (for any kind of pain med).  Any pain med should be probably locked up.
    Without more info, I really can't say much more.

[brivile]

She is not on any medication and she sneaks all kinds of food (cheese, chips, frosting, crackers, lunch meat, etc)  day and night. As far as the pain relievers go,  she denies taking them so I'm not sure how many she takes at a time. I've explained to her in details about the dangers and have even gone as far as locking them in my car to keep them away from her. I'm trying to figure out her reasoning for doing all this but so far,  I haven't been able to come up with an answer.

[Sandman2]

    Oh, the one thing I have not asked is how long as it been going on?  and was there any major change in her environment that happened before this?
   I don't know which social spectrum disorder she has, but I do know that kids on the autism spectrum will self soothe with music, video games, food, etc.  I suspect that this is true with other spectrums as well.  If this is true, then the first question is....is the extra food hurting her?   Is she much heavier then a child her age.   If this is true, then this is much more serious.  If her weight is somewhat normal, then it is a matter of letting her eat (in the short term), but good foods.  Then you need to try and replace the food with another soothing substance. (if that is the reason for her food intake).
    At any rate, I suspect you need professional guidance.   You  need to know what is driving this compulsion.  Until you know the cause, it is tough to find the solution.
  As you have found out...punishment will not work.  This is a habit or compulsion, and it is not something that can be broken overnight.  
   It probably is worth doing a blood panel workup just to make sure that this is not caused by some medical issue (thyroid, etc.).  And you need to rule out diabetes - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes-in-children/symptoms-causes/syc-20355306
  Without knowing what her social spectrum disorder is, its a little hard to come up with more suggestions as its a pretty good chance the two are linked.  But, I really do think your first step should be a good medical exam.  Then probably (if no medical problems) getting some good professional psychological help.
   I hope this helps.  I know that there is nothing more scary then the unknown...especially when it is your own child.   Please let me know if I can be more of help and let me know how things are going.  Best wishes
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[Andrewdavid1]

I'm going to ask an obvious question that may, very well, have NOT been asked. Is she maybe still hungry? It's very easy to underfeed children. Does she 'Rush' her food, does she Always finish everything? Does she ask for more, or always Take-if offered? Sorry but just a thought.