Chiroblog

A recent study looked at how eating habits differ between children with autism and those who are typically developing, as well as how much parents know about nutrition. Researchers found that children with autism tend to eat fewer snacks but have more emotional eating behaviors, like overeating when upset. They are also more likely to have strong reactions—such as tantrums—when they can’t get their favorite foods. Compared to other children, kids with autism eat core food groups less often and consume more packaged foods and sugary drinks.  Dealing with kids with Autism like we have for many years, I agree with this part of the article.  However, it doesn’t really go into the fact that many of the favorite foods of kids with Autism are due to texture vs purely ‘like or dislike.’  The same muscles that are used to chew and swallow food are used to some degree to speak, which explains why children with more severe levels of Autism may not eat a balanced diet as well as have difficulty in speech. 

The study also showed that parents of children with autism generally have less nutrition knowledge than parents of typically developing children. This I find not completely accurate. As stated above, I find the reason that children with Autism tend to eat more processed & packaged foods is not because of a lack of parental education (many of the parents I work with who have kids with Autism are very highly educated)…rather there are certain foods kids with Autism are drawn to (mac and cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, French fries, for example) due to texture, taste (sweet/salty) and look (all are yellowish).

Reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050656525002081