Feeding Problems, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Challenging Behavior and Sensory Issues in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Leader et al. (2020) sent surveys to 136 families of kids and teens with autism. They asked about food selectivity, food refusal, tummy pain, behavior, and sensory issues.

The team wanted to see how often feeding problems show up and what else tags along.

Most kids were picky eaters. 84 percent showed food selectivity and 79 percent refused foods.

Those with feeding issues also had more GI pain, sensory issues, and challenging behavior.

Ellingsen et al. (2014) saw the same pattern earlier: feeding issues linked to sensory and emotional problems, not social skills.

Laugeson et al. (2014) tracked kids for 20 months and found food pickiness stayed the same; sensory over-reactivity was the main driver.

Prosperi et al. (2017) looked at preschoolers and found a lower rate (40 percent) with GI or feeding issues, but still tied to sleep, self-injury, and anxiety. The numbers differ because the age groups and questions were not the same.

Bennett et al. (2017) added family stress: disruptive mealtime behaviors, not just pickiness, hurt co-parenting and raised parent stress.

If a child with autism is picky or refuses food, expect GI pain, sensory issues, and tough behavior to ride along. Use a quick sensory screen and share results with the pediatrician. Target disruptive meal behaviors first to lower family stress and boost buy-in for feeding plans.