Thursday, April 1, 2010

Autism and Nutrition

For decades scientist have studied the role of nutrition in relationship to autism. Reseach has not shown a connection to diet and the treatment of Autism. However, this remains a controversy.

Whether or not food is a treatment, there are nutritional concerns to consider. The abstract below discusses some of the eating problems faced by a persom with autism. To view the complete article click the title link.

Abstract.  Eating Problems in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Williams, Keith E. PhD, BCBA-D; Seiverling, Laura MA; Topics in Clinical Nutrition: January/March 2010, Volume 25, Issue 1-p 27–37

A variety of eating problems, especially problems with food selectivity, have been reported in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). A few studies have examined children with and without ASDs and compared eating problems found in a group of children. Other research has examined possible etiological factors that lead to eating problems among children with ASDs. This review discusses these areas of research. While the treatment of eating problems among children with ASDs can present a clinical challenge to providers, there is a growing literature detailing effective interventions for the eating problems in this population. Methods of assessment as well as details of interventions that have been found to effectively treat eating problems among children with ASDs are described.

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