The physical status of children with autism in China.
One in three Chinese children with autism is already too heavy, and the risk grows with age—track growth like you track behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doctors in China weighed and measured the children with autism .
They used growth charts to see how many kids were heavy for their height.
What they found
About one third of the kids were already at-risk-for-overweight.
Another one fifth were clearly overweight.
Older kids were heavier and shorter on the charts than younger kids.
How this fits with other research
Bicer et al. (2013) saw the same trend in Turkey. They found even more kids—58 percent—were overweight or obese.
Moorthy et al. (2022) looked at the same Chinese group years later. They found the kids ate about the same sugar as typical peers, but had worse brushing habits.
Arwert et al. (2020) pooled 18 studies and noted heavy kids often walk with wider, slower steps. Nina’s BMI numbers help explain why gait looks different in autism.
Why it matters
Weight creeps up fast in autism. A five-year-old on the 50th height line can drop to the 25th by age ten while gaining extra pounds. You can catch this early. Plot height, weight, and BMI every three months. If the curve jumps two channels, add active play goals and screen for food selectivity before medical problems pile up.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Print a blank BMI-for-age chart, grab yesterday’s session notes, and plot every client’s most recent height and weight.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The height, weight and BMI of children with autism was investigated and analyzed to find the physical status of children with autism in China. Three hundred and eighty boys and 49 girls diagnosed with autistic disorder participated. Their parents were interviewed with a questionnaire about general information, and children were evaluated with Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and height and weight were measured. Children with autism had high level height, weight and BMI; the rate of height >or=P(75) was less in 6-11 years old group than that in 2-5 years old group in boys and all children. The prevalence of at-risk-for or being overweight was 31.8% and 17.0% in 2-5 years old group, were 37.9% and 21.8% in 6-11 years old group. At-risk-for-overweight/overweight of children with autism had no relationship with their core symptoms, the older age was the only predictor for lower height and at-risk-for-overweight. Prevalence of at-risk-for-overweight and overweight in children with autism was high. Children's height level decreased, and being at-risk-for-overweight increased with age.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2009 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2007.11.001