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Changes in Food Selectivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 47, pages 439–446 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Food selectivity is a common problem in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and has an adverse impact on nutrient adequacy and family mealtimes. Despite recent research in this area, few studies have addressed whether food selectivity present in children with ASD persists into adolescence. In this study, we assessed food selectivity in 18 children with ASD at two time points (mean age = 6.8 and 13.2 years), and examined changes in food selectivity. While food refusal improved overall, we did not observe an increase in food repertoire (number of unique foods eaten). These findings support the need for interventions early in childhood to increase variety and promote healthy eating among children with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Alyssa Biller and Rosalie Jiang for their assistance with the project and the families for their participation in the study. This research was funded by the following NIH grants: NICHD (R21 HD048989); Maternal and Child Health (UA3MC25735-01-00); Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center (DK046200); NICHD—Interdisciplinary Research in Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (2P30HD004147-33A2); and AIDD—University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (90DD0675-04-00).

Author contributions

LGB was the principal investigator and was involved in study design/conception, data interpretation and drafted the manuscript. CC was involved in study design, data interpretation and manuscript preparation. SP was involved in data analysis, data interpretation and manuscript preparation. SEA was involved in study design, data analysis and interpretation and manuscript preparation. MM was involved in, data collection, data management and analysis and manuscript preparation. AM was involved in study design/conception, data analysis and data interpretation and manuscript preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, E.K. Shriver Center, UMass Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North S3-324B, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA

    Linda G. Bandini

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Linda G. Bandini

  3. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, E.K. Shriver Center, UMass Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North S3-317, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA

    Carol Curtin

  4. Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA, 02111, USA

    Sarah Phillips & Aviva Must

  5. College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, 336 Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Sarah E. Anderson

  6. E.K. Shriver Center, UMass Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North S3-24C, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA

    Melissa Maslin

Authors
  1. Linda G. Bandini
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  2. Carol Curtin
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  3. Sarah Phillips
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  4. Sarah E. Anderson
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  5. Melissa Maslin
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  6. Aviva Must
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda G. Bandini.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Parents provided written informed consent. The protocol, amended to include a follow-up contact, was approved by the University of Massachusetts Institutional Review Board.

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Bandini, L.G., Curtin, C., Phillips, S. et al. Changes in Food Selectivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 439–446 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2963-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2963-6

Keywords

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Food selectivity
  • Food refusal
  • Childhood
  • Nutrition