There are so many idiosyncratic behaviors associated with autism that it's impossible for someone to understand them all. I've raised a child with autism for 12 years and I am still learning.
The subject of "mouth stuffing" came up today. It was, in fact, his teacher that brought it up (Hey, Tiffany!) and I'm glad she did, because it's not something that I really think about.
So, here's the deal. Anyone looking at my son eat would think that we had taught him the most atrocious table manners. He puts more food in his mouth than he can possibly chew and doesn't always use a fork. Sometimes he will load the fork with his hands and then use it. Not the way to go, I know. But here's why he does it.
The problem, first of all, is hyposensitivity. Not hyper, because that would be too much. It's hypo. Not enough. He can't tell when his mouth is "full". It's a sensory behavior. So he puts too much food in his mouth, or the bites he takes are too big.
Using utensils is also hard for children that don't have fully developed fine motor skills. It's hard for them. It feels awkward to them. It's easier for them to grab food and stuff it in. This is the same reason they have a hard time holding and writing with a pen or pencil or using a pair of scissors. Their brains are just not wired that way.
So what's the solution? We encourage our son to slow down and chew. We encourage him to use his fork and spoon. We recognize that what comes naturally to so many people is a struggle for him and we try to be patient.
I also ran across this article on the "Autism Speaks" site. This article has some very useful practical advice, and also illustrates that mouth stuffing is not a problem unique to younger children with autism.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2015/03/27/how-do-we-help-adult-son-autism-stop-overstuffing-his-mouth
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