Feeding Disorders

Comorbid Feeding and Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Challenging Behavior, Sensory Issues, Adaptive Functioning and Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…3 Over 70% of children diagnosed with ASD present with at least one comorbid disorder. 4,5 While much of the literature has focused on the core deficits of ASD, relatively less has been done to address comorbid conditions frequently observed in ASD. 6,7 Comorbidities in ASD include anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, sleep problems, toileting problems, and gastrointestinal symptoms.…”

“…8,9,10,11,12 One of the potentially most serious and frequently endorsed comorbid disorder is feeding problems. 4,13 Feeding problems refer to difficulties consuming foods that deviate enough to produce negative social and health implications. 4,14 Feeding problems seen in ASD are perceived as multi-factorial and include behavioral, physiological, emotional, cognitive, and medical origins.…”

“…4,13 Feeding problems refer to difficulties consuming foods that deviate enough to produce negative social and health implications. 4,14 Feeding problems seen in ASD are perceived as multi-factorial and include behavioral, physiological, emotional, cognitive, and medical origins. 15 Children with ASD have significantly more feeding problems and eat a narrower range of foods than children without ASD.…”

“…37(p3) Existing research has suggested that over eighty percent of children diagnosed with ASD demonstrate some form of challenging behaviour, 38 and challenging behavior is one of the most common co-occurring problems for children with ASD. 39,40 Challenging behavior often accompanies feeding problems, 4 and these types of behavior can include aggressive, stereotypic/repetitive, and self-injurious behavior (SIB). 1 Challenges associated with feeding problems can manifest as food refusal, aggression and self-injurious behavior, 42 and as ritualized or inflexible eating behaviour.…”