Brief Report: Sensory Sensitivity is Associated with Disturbed Eating in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders Without Intellectual Disabilities.

Nisticò et al. (2023) sent online surveys to autistic adults who can speak or write fluently.

They asked about visual and taste sensitivity, plus eating habits and eating-disorder feelings.

The goal was to see if sensory scores could predict eating problems in this group.

Adults who scored high on visual hypersensitivity also reported more eating-disorder symptoms.

Those who under-reacted to taste had more eating issues as well.

The link stayed even when the team ruled out anxiety and depression.

Smith et al. (2010) first showed autistic kids split into three sensory clusters, with taste and smell driving one cluster. Veronica’s team extends that idea to adults and ties it to eating, not just communication.

Riccio et al. (2018) found bitter-sensitive genes made autistic kids reject food. Veronica flips the focus: low taste response in adults, not high, forecasted eating problems. Together they show taste sensitivity can push eating issues in both directions across age.

Clark et al. (2013) saw colour-taste conflict hurt flavour naming in adults with autistic traits. Veronica finds visual hypersensitivity alone predicts eating distress, so colour on the plate may matter more than we thought.

If your client gags on pale foods or eats only beige meals, add a quick sensory screener. Ask about bright lights and bland taste. Simple fixes—dimmer switches, tinted bowls, or stronger spices—may calm the mealtime battle and cut eating-disorder risk.