Feeding and eating behaviors in children with autism and typically developing children.
Picky eating is only slightly more common in autism, so assess individual sensory and behavioral factors instead of blaming the diagnosis.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Martins et al. (2008) asked parents about picky eating and mealtime rituals. They compared kids with autism to same-age peers without disabilities.
The team used a simple survey. They wanted to see if autism alone makes feeding issues worse.
What they found
Kids with autism were only a little pickier. Rituals at the table were about the same in both groups.
The difference was so small that you can't blame autism by itself.
How this fits with other research
Leader et al. (2020) later surveyed 136 youth with autism only. They found 84% were selective eaters. The gap looks huge, but Geraldine had no control group, so typical rates weren't shown.
Islamoğlu et al. (2025) also compared autistic and typical kids. They saw higher ARFID risk and more food fussiness in the autism group. Their sample may have been more affected, showing that severity matters.
Laugeson et al. (2014) tracked the same kids for 20 months. Selectivity stayed stable and linked to sensory issues, not autism severity. This supports Yolanda's point: look at sensory profile, not diagnosis alone.
Why it matters
Don't assume every autistic client will be a picky eater. Screen each child for sensory over-responsivity, oral-motor issues, or anxiety. If feeding problems show up, target those specific variables instead of offering generic 'autism feeding' programs.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a quick parent questionnaire on sensory responses to food textures before starting any feeding plan.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Mothers of children aged 2-12 years completed an exhaustive questionnaire assessing feeding and eating behaviors for both themselves and their children with autism, and typically developing siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (where available), or typically developing children with no sibling with a disability. Results indicate that children with autism were only marginally more likely to exhibit picky eating behavior (overall style) than their siblings or matched typically developing children. Rates of ritualistic feeding behaviors were equivalent in all groups of children although children with autism were more likely to be currently exhibiting problematic eating and feeding behaviors. The implications of these results for the treatment of feeding difficulties exhibited by children with autism will be discussed.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2008 · doi:10.1007/s10803-008-0583-5