A Pilot Study Investigating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Parent-Only Behavioral Weight-Loss Treatment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
A short parent-only class helped kids with autism and extra weight slim down while eating more veggies and moving more.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Matheson et al. (2019) ran a 16-session parent-only weight-loss program for kids with autism who were overweight. Parents met weekly to learn diet, activity, and behavior skills, then coached their kids at home.
No separate control group; the team simply checked kids and parents before and after the course.
What they found
Both kids and parents lost weight. Children also ate more vegetables and moved more each day.
Parents said the plan was easy to follow and fit family life.
How this fits with other research
Granich et al. (2016) first showed that one in three youth with autism is overweight or obese. Matheson’s pilot answers that alarm with a ready-to-use parent program.
Fahmie et al. (2013) tried a school-based diet-and-exercise class for overweight kids with autism. They saw only tiny fitness gains and no real weight change. The new parent-only model looks stronger because it teaches caregivers to run the plan at home every day.
Nichols et al. (2019) interviewed parents who said their own support and autism-friendly activity choices make or break exercise habits. Matheson built those exact levers into the 16-session course.
Why it matters
You now have a short, parent-led script for weight, veggies, and movement that works for kids with ASD. No extra clinic space, no 1:1 therapist hours. Hand the manual to families, track BMI and step counts, and watch the whole household get healthier.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Evidence-based weight-loss treatments for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are lacking. Therefore, a parent-based weight-loss treatment for children with ASD (PBT-ASD) was developed. A pilot study was conducted to test the initial efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of this intervention. Parents of 20 children with ASD and overweight/obesity (mean age = 9.90 (SD = 2.31) years; 90% male; 40% Hispanic) participated in a 16-session PBT-ASD. The PBT-ASD program was found to be feasible and acceptable. Both children and parents lost weight from pre- to post-treatment (p’s < .05). Parent-reported child physical activity and vegetable consumption increased at post-treatment (p’s < .05). This pilot study provides a proof-of-concept for PBT-ASD. Randomized controlled trials with larger samples and follow-up are needed.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04178-8