Evaluation of nutritional status of children and adolescents diagnosed with autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in early childhood with problems in social, communication, behavior and cognitive skills, and whose effects are generally life-long, the cause and treatment of which are still unknown. Eating problems are also quite common in children with autism. The most common problem is food types and food selectivity. This study was planned to define the nutritional status and meal behavior of children and adolescents. This descriptive study was conducted with a total of 100 children, 44 girls and 56 boys, aged between 6-18 years, studying at Marmara Autism Sports Club in Tuzla, Istanbul. In the study, general information about the child and family, three-day food consumption record, frequency of food consumption and Autism Meal Behavior Brief Scale (BAMBI) questionnaires were applied. When the data were evaluated, constipation and gas problems were common among the digestive system problems in children. A significant relationship was found between mother's education level and child-specific cooking (p<0.05). The duration of breastfeeding of children is significantly related to the education level of the mother (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between the adequacy groups of any macro and micronutrient in terms of BAMBI-Total score. For this reason, it has been deemed necessary to monitor the growth curves of individuals with ASD and to provide education on nutrition to mothers from a young age.