Food and nutritional aspects of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Objective:

To understand the habits, difficulties and eating strategies of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Method:

This is an exploratory and descriptive qualitative research carried out with 14 parents of the Association of Parents and Friends of people with ASD located in a city in the extreme south of Santa Catarina. Data collection took place through a semi-structured interview, using content analysis to treat the information obtained.

Results:

The data collected indicated three thematic categories, structured respectively: eating habits of children and adolescents with ASD; eating difficulties of children and adolescents with ASD; and eating strategies of children and adolescents with ASD. The study identified that autistic children and adolescents have a considerable consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods, in addition to behaviors related to food refusal, dysphagia, low acceptance of solid foods, binge eating and gastrointestinal symptoms. It was also possible to identify a gap in the knowledge of caregivers related to the sensory aspects of the disorder involved in their children's eating habits.

Conclusion:

Children and adolescents with ASD have a diversified diet, with a tendency to dysfunctional eating habits, and a significant impairment in sensory activities that make it difficult to obtain and establish a healthy diet.

Keywords:
Autistic Spectrum Disorder; eating and food intake disorders; health education; Unified Health System; Primary Health Care