Food selectivity and autism: A systematic review

Table 1 Characteristics of included studies - food selectivity

Study	Number and age	Objective	Measures	Specific findings
1	219 participants, 115 of whom were diagnosed with autism and 92 without	Determining the prevalence and nature of food selectivity traits in individuals with ASD compared to the neurotypical population	The personal history form; children’s eating behaviour inventory; the food preference inventory; the Gilliam autism rating scale	Food selectivity traits are more common in individuals with ASD than in the neurotypical population
2	74 parents and/or caregivers; 72 children	Analysing the eating patterns of pre-school and school-age children with ASD	Online questionnaire	97.67% of ASD children show food selectivity
3	Participants (n = 4930)	Examine the two-way association between ASD symptoms and eating problems during the child’s development and whether this differs according to the child’s gender	Child behaviour checklist	ASD symptoms and eating problems may represent a set of highly stable traits from early childhood to adolescence and associations did not differ according to the child’s gender
4	375 children	Assessing food preferences in children diagnosed with ASD compared to controls	Food frequency questionnaire	Food selectivity is higher in children with ASD than in children with typical development
5	46 children with ASD	Investigating predisposing factors of eating disorders and the effects of food consumed on autism scores	Brief autism mealtime behaviour inventory; autism behaviour checklist; food frequency questionnaire	Food selectivity was observed in 84.8% of children

ASD: Autism spectrum disorder.

Table 2 Characteristics of included studies - sensory processing

Study	Number and age	Objective	Measures	Specific findings
1	Children with ASD (n = 53); children without ASD (n = 58)	Assessing the relationship between oral sensory processing and food selectivity in children with ASD	Food frequency questionnaire; the vineland adaptive behaviour scales; differential abilities scale; sensory profile (questionnaire); the subscale: Oral sensory over-sensitivity	Children with ASD had more atypical sensory processing than children without ASD and refused more food than those with typical oral sensory sensitivity
2	65 children with ASD and 30 with typical development	Analysing dietary intake, nutritional status and sensory profile in children with and without ASD	The SAYCARE study food frequency questionnaire; the Spanish version of the Short Sensory Profile; for anthropometric measurements of weight and height: Standardised by Frisancho and the World Health Organisation	Children with ASD had a higher sensory sensitivity, a lower intake of dairy products and a higher intake of cereal and protein foods than children with typical sensory performance with ASD

ASD: Autism spectrum disorder.

Table 3 Characteristics of included studies - problematic mealtime behaviour

Study	Number and age	Objective	Measures	Specific findings
1	44 children (n = 55 with ASD; n = 91 with neurotypical children)	Assessing body composition, nutritional status through food selectivity, degree of inappropriate intake and mealtime behaviour in ASD children compared to neurotypical children	Brief assessment of mealtime behaviour in children; food frequency questionnaire; seventy-two-hour food diary; body composition and anthropometric measurements	Children with ASD showed high food selectivity, more low weight and obese children and more disturbed eating behaviour than children with neurotypical development
2	45 boys and 8 girls	Assessing the dietary patterns, food intake and behavioural problems during mealtimes of children with ASD	Indian scale for assessment of autism; standard anthropometric techniques (World Health Organisation); food frequency questionnaire; children’s eating behaviour inventory	Children with ASD are at risk of developing micronutrient deficiencies. Children present with: lack of satiety, lack of responsiveness to food and lack of enjoyment of food

ASD: Autism spectrum disorder.