The nutritional behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder, parental feeding styles, and anthropometric measurements

Abstract

Background

Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known to include problems relating to nutrition, information about nutritional behavior, caregiver feeding styles, and anthropometric measurements is still limited.

Aims

We aimed to assess the nutritional behavior, anthropometric measurements, and caregiver feeding styles of children with ASD.

Method

One hundred and four children with ASD and 100 controls were enrolled in the study. Children’s weight and height were measured and recorded by the researchers. The Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire, Parental Feeding Style Questionnaire, Development Assessment Form, and Sociodemographic Data Form were conducted by their caregivers.

Results

Children with ASD were difficult to feed as babies, experienced more problems in the transition to supplementary food, were more selective about food, and were fed diets with a more limited variety than the control group. The BMI z-scores for children with ASD were higher than those for children without ASD, while their height z-scores were lower. Children with ASD displayed more responsiveness to food, emotional overeating, enjoyment of food, desire for drinks, emotional undereating, and food selectivity behaviors, while the parents of these children were found to use more emotional feeding, instrumental feeding, and tolerance-controlled feeding styles than the parents of the controls.

Conclusions

Children with ASD are more selective about foods and have greater difficulty in switching to supplementary food. The BMI-z score for children with ASD is higher and the height-z score is lower. Children with ASD have different eating and feeding styles compared to children in the control group.

Keywords:

• Autism
• nutrition
• feeding
• eating
• obesity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Arzu Çalışkan Demir

Arzu Çalışkan Demir is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and works at Inonu University School of Medicine.

Özlem Özcan

Özlem Özcan is a professor and head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Inonu University School of Medicine.