2. What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental
disability that can cause significant social,
communication and behavioral challenges.
People with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and
learn in ways that are different from most other people.
The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of
people with ASD can range from gifted to severely
challenged.
A diagnosis of ASD includes three conditions that used to
be diagnosed separately: autistic disorder, Asperger
syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not
otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
3. Signs & Symptoms
Children with ASD might:
not point at objects to show interest
(for example, not point at an airplane
flying over)
not look at objects when another
person points at them
have trouble relating to others or not
have an interest in other people at all
avoid eye contact and want to be
alone
have trouble understanding other
people’s feelings or talking about
their own feelings
prefer not to be held or cuddled
appear to be unaware when people
talk to them, but respond to other
sounds
be very interested in people, but not
know how to talk, play, or relate to
them
repeat or echo words or phrases said
to them, or repeat words or phrases in
place of normal language
not play “pretend” games (for
example, not pretend to “feed” a doll)
lose skills they once had (for example,
stop saying words they were using)
repeat actions over and over again
have trouble expressing their
needs using typical words or
motions
have trouble adapting when a
routine changes
have unusual reactions to the way
things smell, taste, look, feel, or
sound
4. Causes & Risk Factors
Causes are largely unknown, but there may be many
different factors that make a child more likely to have an
ASD, including environmental, biologic and genetic
factors.
Risk factors include:
Genes
Having a sibling with ASD
Having certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, such
as fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis
Taking certain prescription drugs during pregnancy
Children born to older parents
5. Prevalence
The newest study put out by the CDC notes that 1 in 68
children in the US is diagnosed with an autism
spectrum disorder, compared with 1 in 88 in 2012.
Utah now has the 2nd most diagnosed cases of ASD,
behind New Jersey
Utah rates:
2008: 1 in 47
2014: 1 in 54
About 2% of children in Utah are diagnosed with an autism
spectrum disorder
Boys are diagnosed 5 times more than girls
6. Nutritional Concerns
Children with ASD are five times more likely to have
mealtime challenges such as extremely narrow food
selections, ritualistic eating behaviors (for example, no
foods can touch) and meal-related tantrums.
Children with ASD have a lower than average intake of
protein, calcium, B12, and Vitamin D as compared to
their peers.
Poor nutrition is linked to motor, cognitive, and
behavioral development problems in children with
ASD.
7. Nutritional Concerns
Picky Eating
Rigidity & Routine
Many children with ASD feel high anxiety if they are not on a
schedule. Often times, children will only eat certain types of
food on certain days and at certain times, which can lead to
them refusing to try new foods.
Sensory Issues
Many children with ASD have sensitivity to tastes, colors,
smells and textures. This leads to picky eating and excessive
fluid intake (juice). They often only eat certain kinds of food,
which are often times carbohydrates that are bland or sugary.
8. Nutritional Concerns
Allergies
Children with ASD are prone to food allergies. Allergies
can cause physical symptoms such as diarrhea,
vomiting, hives, wheezing and rashes.
Children with ASD often have trouble communicating,
so they may not be able to tell their parents that they're
experiencing painful symptoms of their allergies.
The discomfort, pain and other physical reactions from
the allergic response could trigger autistic behaviors.
9. Nutritional Concerns
High rates of Gastrointestinal (GI) Disorders
GI disorders are among the most common medical
conditions associated with autism
Chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation, and gastroesophageal
reflux disease
Research reports that GI activity of some children with
autism differs from that of other children in two key
ways:
Their intestinal cells show abnormalities in how they break
down and transport carbohydrates
Their intestines are home to abnormal amounts of certain
digestive bacteria
10. Solutions
Tips for Parents and Caregivers to help with Picky Eating
(from Autism Speaks)
Stay Calm and be Patient with the Child
Many children need to taste a food more than a dozen times before they’re willing to eat it without a fuss. Children
with autism-related sensitivities can take longer. Be patient as your child explores and samples new foods. If your
child continues to reject a food even after a dozen-plus tries, perhaps he just doesn’t like it. Consider trying a different
food. Above all, don’t let mealtime become a family battleground. Instead, get creative.
Take Steps Toward Tasting
Many individuals with autism are afraid to try new things. Help your child explore a new food by looking at it,
touching it and smelling it. When he’s ready for a taste, he can try giving the food “a kiss” or licking it before putting a
whole bite into his mouth. Sometimes, mixing a new food with a favorite one can help.
Tune into Textures
Autism often comes with hypersensitivity to textures. So remember that it may be how a food feels in the mouth,
rather than its flavor, that produces a food aversion. The squishiness of a fresh tomato is a classic example. Try
chopping or blending such foods to smooth out the offending texture. That tomato, for example, can be chopped into
salsa or blended and cooked into pasta sauce.
Play with New Food
Playing with a new food is another way to build familiarity and decrease mealtime anxiety. Together, try painting with
pasta sauce. Use veggies to make faces on pizza. Use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into fun shapes. While you’re
playing, let your child see you taste — and enjoy — the food.
Offer Choices and Control
Your loved one with autism may need to feel some control over what she puts into her mouth. It’s also okay to simply
not like some foods. So try to offer a broad variety and allow choices within the categories you care about. For
example, you might decide that your child needs to have one serving of vegetables and one of protein for dinner. So
put five types of these foods on the table and allow your child to choose at least one vegetable and one protein. Along
the same lines, if you’re making a favorite dish such as pasta, ask your child to add one mystery ingredient for other
family members to discover during the meal. She gets to choose: corn, broccoli or chicken?
Be Careful with Rewards
In the long-run, it’s important to reward and reinforce your child’s flexibility with food and willingness to try to new
foods. But blatant bribes can backfire. Your child may eat the food, but won’t learn to enjoy it or understand why it’s
important to eat a well-rounded diet — and that’s the goal. Let dessert and treats be part of meals and snacks, but
don’t use them as carrots to get your child to eat … carrots.
11. Solutions
To help make up deficits in their nutrition due to picky
eating, self-imposed food restrictions, and GI
problems, children with ASD should take:
Multivitamins
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements
Probiotics
12. Solutions
Seek guidance from doctors and registered dieticians
working in early intervention programs and developmental
evaluation centers for special diets due to allergies, food
sensitivities, nutrition gaps, and behavior modification
Every child with ASD has special, particular dietary needs, so
there is no one “autism diet”.
Although the data is inconclusive, many specific diets out there
have shown improvements in symptoms of ASD and other
disorders (ADHD, for example)
Feingold Diet
Gluten & Casein Free Diet
Candida Diet
Specific Carbohydrate Diet
13. Diets
Feingold Diet
No dyes (such as Red 3, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, Yellow 6,
Green 3), artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, and the preservatives
BHA, BHT and TBHQ. Symptoms commonly helped include:
reduced hyperactivity, impulse and compulsive actions, emotional
concerns, attention span, neuro-muscular involvement learning
problems (such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, tics), auditory & visual
processing problems, comprehension, and sleep disturbances.
Gluten and Casein Free Diet (GFCF)
No gluten or dairy. Children with autism, according to the theory,
process peptides and proteins in foods containing gluten and casein
differently than other people do. Hypothetically, this difference in
processing may exacerbate autistic symptoms. The idea behind the
use of the diet is to reduce symptoms and improve social and
cognitive behaviors and speech.
14. Diets
Candida Diet
Reducing Candida (yeast) in the GI tract by eliminating
sugar and adding “good bacteria” with fermented foods
and probiotics. Symptoms commonly helped include: toe
walking, rocking, abdominal pain, bloating, abdominal
rigidity abnormal bowel movements, rashes and yeast
infections, hyperactivity, mood swings, low attention span
or problems focusing.
Specific Carbohydrate Diet
No sugar, grains, starchy vegetables, dairy, and some
legumes. Helps reduce symptoms of GI disorders, which
can reduce certain autistic symptoms such as tantrums,
screaming, and aggression.
