AutismWeb Forum

Is Picky Eating an Early Sign of Autism?
By Alice Park
Monday, Jul. 19, 2010
TIME

New research on the finicky eating habits of children with autism finds that while autistic children do tend to eat a less varied diet than other kids, their feeding preferences have little negative effect on their height, weight and growth.

Researchers at the University of Bristol began with a database of all children who were born between 1991 and 1992 and enrolled in a long-term study in Avon, England. The children's caregivers completed detailed food questionnaires describing the kids' eating habits at five intervals, beginning at 6 months and continuing to age four and a half. Since autism is generally not diagnosed until after age 2, when children begin speaking, the study captured feeding habits in children well before parents were even aware their children may be affected with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). That means their answers to the questionnaires were less likely to be biased by knowledge of their child's eventual autism status.(See pictures of summer camp for autistic kids.)

By the end of the study, when the children were 7 years old, 79 had been diagnosed with an ASD, compared with 12,901 who had not.

Researchers found that by the time they were 1 month old, autistic children were already 35% more likely than unaffected children to be slow feeders. By 1 year, their diets were considerably less varied — they ate fewer vegetables and fruits, but they also consumed less sweets and carbonated beverages. By that age, parents also reported that children with ASD were nearly twice as likely to be choosier about their food than unaffected children.(See pictures of a journey into the world of autism.)

However, the scientists found no significant differences in the total energy intake or overall carbohydrate, fat and protein consumption between the autistic children and the controls at 18 months. All the children were similar in height, weight and body mass index (or BMI, a ratio of height and weight used to measure obesity). "For parents of an autistic child, these data suggest they needn't be too concerned about their child's eating habits," says Pauline Emmett, a nutritionist and one of the authors of the paper published in Pediatrics. "In general, these children are not going to end up malnourished. I think it's a hopeful message for parents."

In addition, say experts, the new study suggests that feeding problems may be considered an early sign of autism. Most cases of ASD are diagnosed after age 2 or 3 when symptoms, such as the inability to verbalize or the lack of development of language and social skills, emerge. But Emmett and her team say changes in feeding patterns, which can materialize as soon as several months after birth, could signal the presence of early autism.