Food preferences and factors influencing food selectivity for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Eisenhower et al. (2006) asked families to list every food their child with autism would eat. They also listed foods the whole family liked. Then they compared the two lists.

The goal was to see if the child’s food choices were narrower than the family’s and to find out what shapes those choices.

Kids with autism accepted far fewer foods than their parents and siblings. Family habits, not autism traits, predicted what landed on the plate.

In plain words: the household menu sets the limit more than the diagnosis does.

Amore et al. (2011) took this pickiness and fixed it. They used ABA with parents as therapists and quickly expanded each child’s food list while cutting mealtime fits.

Leiva-García et al. (2019) showed the cost of waiting. The same narrow diets seen in 2006 were now linked to more cavities and crooked teeth.

Bigby et al. (2009) and Bicer et al. (2013) filled in the nutrition picture. Children who ate few foods also lacked calcium, zinc and dairy, and many became overweight.

Wang et al. (2025) added a new layer. Using the same survey style, they found more screen time and poor sleep made pickiness worse, giving you fresh levers to pull.

Start every feeding case by asking what the whole family eats. Build treatment menus from foods the parents already buy and prepare. Add sleep and screen questions to your intake, and schedule a quick dental check. These simple steps turn the 2006 warning into a workable plan.