Eating Challenges in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Development and Validation of the "Aut-Eat" Questionnaire (AEQ).

The team built a new parent form called the Aut-Eat Questionnaire. They wanted a quick way to spot eating problems in young children with autism.

Parents filled out the form for kids with ASD and for typically developing kids. Then the researchers checked if the scores were steady and if they told the two groups apart.

The Aut-Eat form hung together well; items agreed with each other. Children with autism earned higher eating-problem scores than their typical peers.

The gap was big enough that a cutoff score could flag which child likely had ASD-related feeding issues.

MWFaught et al. (2021) already showed the Montreal Children’s Hospital Feeding Scale works for toddlers with ASD. Aut-Eat now gives you a second, autism-tuned option for the same age range.

Milane et al. (2025) surveyed the field and found BAMBI and BPFAS are the most-used tools. Aut-Eat enters as a newcomer; try it when you want a form built specifically for young kids with autism.

Bøttcher et al. (2013) validated the SWEAA, but that tool targets older, higher-functioning clients. Aut-Eat fills the gap for preschool and early-elementary children who may not self-report.

You now have a brief, free questionnaire that parents can finish in the waiting room. Use it during intake to decide who needs a full feeding assessment or referral. A clear score also gives you a baseline to track progress after you start any behavioral feeding intervention.