title: The impact of feeding difficulties on the social participation of autistic children and their families
Creators: name: Gent, Valerie A
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
subject: feeding difficulties
subject: social participation
subject: caregivers

description: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by differences in social communication and behaviour. Up to 89% of autistic children have feeding difficulties that can potentially impact their nutrition and overall health. Research has shown that these feeding and resulting mealtime difficulties can also create stress for caregivers and other family members. However, little is known about how autistic children's feeding difficulties impact social participation for them, and their families, in life activities at home, school, and in the community. The underlying causes for feeding difficulties in autistic children have been well researched. It is common for autistic children to process the taste and smell of food differently; therefore, their preference for sameness (e.g., predictable textures and flavours) can result in a restricted diet. Likewise, some autistic children's need for sameness can in turn result in strong desires for mealtimes to occur with the same feeding equipment, seating, and even locations with any changes to these factors potentially increasing their mealtime refusal behaviours. Autistic children's differences in sensory processing for foods have been linked with their interoception levels and differing appetite cues around hunger levels for mealtimes. Their sensory processing can also influence their ability to cope with excessive sensory information in some environments. Which can lead to some individuals preferring a quieter space to eat alone rather than with a group of people. Studies have also shown that for caregivers, their autistic children's mealtime refusal, along with well-meaning health professional expectations around nutrition, can impact their own stress levels which in turn impacts their quality of life. Despite the research to date, the relationship between autism characteristics, sensory profiles, and their relationship to autistic children's feeding difficulties has not been thoroughly explored, and the full impact on their families remains unknown. Social participation refers to a person's involvement in activities that provide interaction with others and a sense of belong in the community. In the field of autism research, the impact of feeding difficulties on social participation remains relatively under explored. It has been demonstrated that families of autistic children participate less frequently in holidays because of the need for predictability and routine for their autistic children. Unfortunately, the other impacts of social participation for autistic children with feeding difficulties and their families (e.g., attending birthday parties, going to a restaurant) remain lesser known. Consequently, health professionals who support autistic children and their families may not have the evidence they need to support these aspects of their care. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of feeding difficulties on the social participation of autistic children and their families. Seventy-eight caregivers of eighty autistic children (aged 5-12 years) completed an online survey. Results from this survey were used to explore (a) the frequency and type of parent-reported feeding difficulties; (b) the relationship between these feeding difficulties and caregiver impact; (c) whether the feeding difficulties were a predictor of impact on caregivers over and above autism characteristics and sensory profiles; and (d) the impact of feeding difficulties on social participation at mealtimes. [...]