A comparison of eating behaviors between children with and without autism.
Kids with autism eat fewer foods and act out more at meals—screen and intervene early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Burack et al. (2004) compared eating habits of children with autism to same-age peers without autism. They used surveys and mealtime logs to count food refusals and variety. The goal was to see if autism itself predicts feeding trouble.
What they found
Kids with autism had more feeding problems and ate a smaller range of foods. The gap was large enough to show up on every measure. Typical kids rarely refused whole food groups; kids with autism often did.
How this fits with other research
Nadon et al. (2011) ran a near-copy study and got the same result—autism tripled mealtime problems even against siblings. Miltenberger et al. (2013) pooled 17 similar papers and confirmed the pattern: kids with autism are five times more likely to struggle at the table.
Sánchez-Gómez et al. (2023) added blood work. They showed the narrow diets actually run low on vitamin D, fiber, and calcium. So the behavior gap A et al. spotted now links to real nutrient gaps.
Page et al. (2022) checked every feeding paper and warn that tools differ across studies. The direction, though, stays the same—more autism symptoms, more feeding issues.
Why it matters
You now have 20 years of data saying feeding problems are part of autism, not just picky phases. Screen every new client with a quick food list and a sensory checklist. Catch the issue early and you can start shaping acceptance before gaps in growth or vitamins show up.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although clinicians typically assume that feeding problems co-exist with a diagnosis of autism, no previous research has compared the eating behavior of children with autism to typically developing children. This study compared caregiver report of eating problems of children with and without autism on a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire included items pertaining to food refusal and acceptance patterns as well as food presentation requirements. Caregivers were also asked to complete a food inventory that indicated the number of foods eaten within each food group for both the child and the family. Results indicated children with autism have significantly more feeding problems and eat a significantly narrower range of foods than children without autism.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2004 · doi:10.1023/b:jadd.0000037419.78531.86