Feeding and Eating Behaviors in Children with Autism and Typically Developing Children

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 38; no. 10; pp. 1878 - 1887
• Main Authors: Martins, Yolanda, Young, Robyn L., Robson, Danielle C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-11-2008; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic children; Autistic Disorder; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Caregivers; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child Behavior - physiology; Child Behavior - psychology; Child clinical studies; Child Development; Child Development - physiology; Comparative Analysis; Control Groups; Developmental Delays; Developmental disorders; Down Syndrome; Eating - physiology; Eating - psychology; Eating behaviour; Eating Disorders; Eating Habits; Family (Sociological Unit); Feeding; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Humans; Infantile autism; Literature Reviews; Medical sciences; Mothers; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parents; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Questionnaires; Resistance (Psychology); Siblings; Autism; Eating; Children; Feeding; Human; Preschool age; Feeding behavior; Developmental disorder; Mother child relation; Preadolescent; School age; Social interaction; Family environment; Child; Children Autism
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-008-0583-5

Mothers of children aged 2–12 years completed an exhaustive questionnaire assessing feeding and eating behaviors for both themselves and their children with autism, and typically developing siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (where available), or typically developing children with no sibling with a disability. Results indicate that children with autism were only marginally more likely to exhibit picky eating behavior (overall style) than their siblings or matched typically developing children. Rates of ritualistic feeding behaviors were equivalent in all groups of children although children with autism were more likely to be currently exhibiting problematic eating and feeding behaviors. The implications of these results for the treatment of feeding difficulties exhibited by children with autism will be discussed.