A quarterly publication of the Autism Research Institute
Summer, 2019 | Number 3, Volume 33
Atypical eating behaviors may be a sign that children should be screened for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a new study suggests.
Susan Dickerson Mayes and Hana Zickgraf examined the eating habits of 2,102 children. Of this group, 1,462 children had ASD, 327 had other disorders (for example, ADHD, language disorder, intellectual disability, or learning disability), and 313 were developing typically.
Mayes and Zickgraf assessed the children’s eating behaviors using the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder, basing their assessment on parent interviews. They report:
• 70.4% of children with ASD had atypical eating behaviors, compared to 13.1% of children with other disorders and 4.8% of neurotypical children.
• Limited food preferences were the most common issue, followed by hypersensitivity to texture.
• Only children with ASD had pica (the eating of non-food items) or pocketed food without swallowing it.
• The most common preferred foods for 92% of children with ASD who had limited food preferences were grain products and chicken nuggets.
The researchers found that most children with ASD who had atypical eating behaviors exhibited two or more types of issues, and almost a quarter had three or more. In comparison, none of the children with other disorders had three or more issues involving atypical eating.
They conclude, “The number and types of atypical eating behaviors found only in children with autism and not in children with other disorders or typical development should alert clinicians to the possibility of autism and the need to evaluate for autism in order to facilitate early identification and access to evidence-based treatment.”
“Atypical eating behaviors in children and adolescents with autism, ADHD, other disorders, and typical development,” Susan Dickerson Mayes and Hana Zickgraf, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, No. 64, August 2019, 76-83. Address: Susan Dickerson Mayes, [email protected].
—and—
“Unusual eating behaviors may be a new diagnostic indicator for autism,” Zachary Sweger, Penn State News, July 9, 2019.
