Eating behaviors, diet quality, and gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders: a brief review

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their caregivers face unique challenges in the children's daily eating routines and food intake patterns. The aim of this brief review is to describe eating behaviors of children with ASD, including increased food neophobia and food selectivity, and review findings on children's diet quality, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Advancing knowledge about the interrelationships between these nutrition-related domains in children with ASD is expected to have important implications for clinical nursing practice and caregiver care.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorders; Children; Dietary intake; Eating behaviors; Gastrointestinal health.