Sensory issues with food: Kids on the autism spectrum often express a strong preference for foods that feel a certain way in their mouths. Some prefer soft or creamy foods like yogurt, soup or ice cream; others need the stimulation that crunchy foods like Cheetos or — if a parent is lucky, carrots — provide.
Such food behaviours can include very limited food preferences, hypersensitivity to food textures or temperatures, and pocketing food without swallowing. A diet could be primarily made up of pasta, bread and chicken nuggets with little desire to try new foods and different textures.
Children on the autism spectrum are more likely to have a restricted diet, refusing more foods and eating a more limited food repertoire than their typically developing peers [4–6]. This selectivity appears to be motivated by a number of factors.
Third, many people affected by autism experience what we call hyperphagia. This is an intense desire to eat that goes beyond true hunger. Given unchecked access to food, someone with hyperphagia may eat almost constantly.
Kids with autism can be extremely selective when it comes to eating. An estimated 46–89% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have feeding problems. ASD children struggle with sensory defensiveness, a need for routine and sameness, and visual overstimulation which makes expanding the palate difficult.
Many autistic people struggle with interoception. This means that they have a difficult time feeling and interpreting their body's signals. This connects with disordered eating behavior because it means they may miss their body's cues that they are hungry or full.
Types of feeding problems associated with autism
This most often involves preference for starches and snack foods and more frequent rejection of fruits and vegetables. Children with autism are also more likely to engage in problem behaviors such as crying, disruption and leaving the table during meals.
Sensory issues: Children with autism often have strong preferences for certain textures and temperatures. Some kids prefer soft, creamy foods like purees or even baby food. Others need the extra stimulation of crunchy foods. In every case, sensory preferences can limit what kids are willing to eat.
Abstract. Backgrounds: Autistic adults tend to prefer eating alone, which may result in further social isolation. This study aims to understand contexts of challenges autistic adults face when eating with other people outside home. Methods: We explored autistic subjectivities actively situated in eating environments.
Causes of overeating in autistic children and teenagers include habits, obsessions, unpredictable mealtimes, sensory sensitivities and emotions. It can help to keep snack foods out of reach or sight, replace snacks with other activities, and aim for predictable meals.
The children who received caffeine showed significant improvements in cognitive function, including attention, memory, and processing speed. Another study conducted by the University of California, Irvine, found that caffeine can reduce hyperactivity in individuals with autism.
Autistic people can often have trouble sleeping. There are a range of reasons for this including difficulties with relaxing or winding down and irregular melatonin levels. Problems with sleep can be an issue for both autistic adults and children.
These interests are extremely common among people with autism: 75 to 95 percent have them. An interest may involve collecting items such as postcards or dolls, listening to or playing music in a repetitive way, or focusing intensely on a narrow topic, such as insects fighting.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
Children with autism are often clumsy, physically awkward or uncoordinated.
Autism-related sensory aversions are another common reason for eating problems. As you may well know, another common symptom of autism is an insistence on “sameness.” This can cause extreme anxiety when the individual is presented with new foods.
In addition to sensory triggers, certain chemicals found in everyday household products like cleaning supplies or air fresheners can also aggravate symptoms of autism. These chemicals include phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), which have been shown to disrupt hormones and affect behavior in animal studies.
Sensory objects and toys are perfect for soothing the early stages of a meltdown. They can help decrease sensory overload (even if that seems counterintuitive) and provide a helpful distraction for the person with autism. There are plenty of sensory toys on the market if you want something convenient.
Many adults on the spectrum struggle with food and cooking because of sensory stimuli, extreme sensitivity to change, and a strong preference for a narrow selection of ingredients. Research shows that individuals with autism tend to favor processed foods and carbohydrates.
It's common for kids on the autism spectrum to have problems with eating. This can make it hard to get them to eat a healthy range of foods. And it can cause a lot of conflict at mealtime. To work on picky eating, the first step is having a doctor rule out stomach issues that might be causing it.
Although fatigue and burnout can happen to anyone, autistic people are more likely to be affected by this. It is often the result of doing more than you can cope with for too long and can be an immediate response to something, or be caused by a build up of things over time.
The taste of chicken nuggets is not overwhelming, a characteristic which is welcome to children with sensory issues. Research suggests that “many individuals with autism tend to have strong preferences for carbohydrates and processed foods, while rejecting fruits and vegetables.