Child Eating Behaviors and Caregiver Feeding Practices in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This pilot study compared children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing children (TDC) on weight-related outcomes and caregiver-reported child eating behaviors and feeding practices. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: Cross-sectional study. Caregivers of 25 children with ASD and 30 TDC, ages 4-6. METHODS: Caregivers completed validated questionnaires that assessed child eating behaviors and feeding practices. Children's height, weight, and waist circumference were measured. RESULTS: Children with ASD, when compared to TDC, showed significantly greater abdominal waist circumferences (p = .01) and waist-to-height ratios (p < .001). Children with ASD with atypical oral sensory sensitivity exhibited greater food avoidance behaviors, including reluctance to eat novel foods (p = .004), being selective about the range of foods they accept (p = .03), and undereating due to negative emotions (p = .02), than children with ASD with typical oral sensory sensitivity. Caregivers of children with ASD with atypical oral sensory sensitivity reported using food to regulate negative child emotions to a greater extent than caregivers of children with typical oral sensory sensitivity (p = .02). DISCUSSION: Children with ASD, especially those with atypical oral sensory sensitivity, are at increased risk for food avoidance behaviors and may require additional support in several feeding domains.
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ASD children are significantly more reluctant to try unfamiliar food.
“Kral et al. confirm that ASD children are significantly more reluctant to try unfamiliar food [21].”
From Unraveling the Connections: Eating Issues, Microbiome, and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder (2025) · cites this paper as [21]
Kral et al. (2015) indicate that adolescents with ASD show less precision in identifying sour and bitter tastes than NT adolescents.
“Kral et al. (2015) conducted a clinical trial on adolescents with autism and NTs [52]. They indicate that adolescents with ASD show less precision in identifying sour and bitter tastes than NT adolescents.”
From Food Selectivity and Its Implications Associated with Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (2022) · cites this paper as Kral et al. (2015)
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- Authors
- Kral, T. V. E., Souders, M. C., Tompkins, V. H., Remiker, A. M., Eriksen, W. T., & Pinto‐Martin, J. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kral, Tanja V. E.
- Venue
- Public Health Nursing
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-08-11
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 488-497
- ISSN
- 0737-1209 (ISSN-L)
- 1525-1446
- OpenAlex
- W1975713535
- Cited by
- 90
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7
- FWCI
- 1.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Public Health Nursing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Biobehavioral Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
- Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, child eating behavior, caregiver feeding practices, food avoidance, waist-to-height ratio, abdominal obesity, picky eating, preschool children, weight-related outcomes
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Body Weight, Child, Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Pilot Projects, Surveys and Questionnaires, Case-Control Studies, Caregivers
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