Nutrition in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

This study is carried out to determine the food intake of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to indicate foods that are often consumed or never consumed. 50 children diagnosed with ASD between the ages of 7-15 are included in the study. The information about the children and their families, their three-day food consumption rate and their frequency of food consumption are evaluated in the study. The energy and food item components of the three-day consumption records are analyzed with BEBIS (Nutritional Information System) program, and the data of the survey are analyzed with the SPSS 19.0 package program. It is found that daily energy intake of 86% of the children, protein intake of 10%, vitamin B1 intake of 66%, folate intake of 66%, calcium intake of 100%, zinc intake of 54%, and iron intake of 38% are inadequate or borderline. It is determined that 8% of the children never consume milk and dairy products, 6% never consume fresh fruit, 4% never consume meat (meat + chicken + fish), 2% never consume bread group (except rice), 30% never consume fish, 26% never consume milk, 12% never consume yogurt, 12% never consume cheese, and 14% never consume. 66% of the families report food selectivity in their children, 72% report beverage selectivity, and 56% report food and beverage selectivity. In conclusion, children with ASD may be at risk for nutritional deficiencies, and further studies are needed on this subject.

Key words: Autism, autism spectrum disorder, children, nutrition.