Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists March 2015 | Page 5

Feeding Behaviors, Pica and Autism
Physical Status, Feeding Behavior and Autism: Recent research was published to
investigate the physical status and feeding behavior among 23 children with autism, ages 516 years old (higher enrollment of males). A 3 day food record was collected using a parent
questionnaire, the Brief Assessment of Mealtime Behavior Inventory, the Food Preference
Inventory and nutrient intake. Physical status was evaluated using height, weight and body
mass index.
The results indicated the following:
1. Twelve children were obese and another 5 were overweight, therefore 75% of the children
had difficulty maintaining normal weight.
2. Mealtime behavior revealed that 69.6 % of the children never/rarely cried/screamed during
mealtimes, turned their face or body away from food (52 %), or expelled food (61 %) that
he/she has eaten.
3. Food Preference Inventory showed food refusal of 59.1 ± 20.6 % for combined food groups
in autistic children. Specifically, higher preference was found for starches (55.8 %) and least
for protein (32.6 %).
4. A 3 day food record revealed that their diets were repetitive with limited variety and
evidence of nutrient inadequacy.
The researchers concluded ѡ