Fussy Eating and Autism: How to Make Sure Autistic Children Get the Right Nutrients
Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is broadly defined as a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Autism can be diagnosed at any age, but in the medical field, it can still be tagged as a developmental disorder due to the symptoms generally appearing in the first two years of life. Many children with ASD also have trouble receiving and responding to information that comes through the senses. Eating is an activity that involves all the senses and can be troublesome for children with ASD.
Thus, to ensure that they have proper nutrition, dietary supplements should be added to their daily food intake.
Food selectivity is prevalent among children with ASD
One of the significant concerns when it comes to the diet of children with autism is their tendency to be selective with the food they eat. Most of them have a specific type of food that they like to eat and these are often those that have few nutrients, such as French fries, crackers, chips, burgers, chicken nuggets, candies and other processed foods. Continuous consumption of these types of food can lead to nutrient deficiency and cause additional issues with the child’s behavior and cognition. A diet change cannot be applied immediately, as diet transition in children with autism can take time. Thus, supplements can help ensure that children with ASD still get enough of the recommended nutrients and vitamins their growing bodies need.
Children with ASD have unusual eating patterns
Communication impairment is one of the apparent symptoms of ASD in children. Thus, children with ASD may find it hard to follow regular eating patterns. They may tend to skip breakfast or do not follow the usual meal schedules. Thus, it is also another concern that can negatively affect the nutritional adequacy and lead to nutritional deficits in children with ASD. The Autism Parenting Magazine recommends identifying the gap in the child’s diet. Parents should make detailed and regular log of the child’s eating pattern, behavior and preferences for a week or two. These logs can be important bits of information that can be provided to the child’s pediatrician so that he/she can identify what minerals and vitamins are present in the food that the child regularly eats or enjoys eating. The pediatrician can also identify the minerals and vitamins that are deficient or lacking from the child’s diet and may first recommend dietary changes and new food items as it is the body’s natural way of taking in nutrition. If diet change is not possible, the pediatrician can then recommend supplements that can be easy to take, such as chewable tablets, syrups, sublingual tinctures and easy to swallow pills.
Dietary supplements are a complementary and alternative treatment for ASD
One of the reasons why dietary supplements are important for treating symptoms of ASD is due to high instances of those that have ASD having gastrointestinal problems. Even if a child with ASD is eating relatively healthy food, there’s still a possibility that the nutrients are not properly absorbed by the body. When nutrients are taken in easily absorbed and metabolized forms like tablets, tinctures and syrups, the nutrition and proper physical and mental development of children with ASD can still be ensured. Also, several symptoms of ASD can be relieved once sufficient amounts of nutrients are taken in. Melatonin supplementation can help children with autism to sleep better as about half of children with ASD struggle with sleep. Probiotics also help children with ASD to better absorb nutrients due to the common symptoms of ASD being gastrointestinal issues like constipation, diarrhea, bloating and stomach pains. Vitamin B6 and Magnesium are recommended for helping speech and language development in children with ASD. Essential fatty acids, specifically Omega 3 is vital for cognitive function and brain health.
Poor nutrient intake can play a role in many developmental, cognitive and behavioral problems. Thus, making sure that sufficient and recommended intake of nutrients and vitamins is crucial to the proper development and optimal functioning of all the internal systems of the body. Children with ASD are particularly vulnerable to poor nutrition due to dietary and gastrointestinal problems. Thus, intervention is needed through nutrient supplementation in order to alleviate the symptoms of autism and prevent other cognitive and behavioral concerns from developing.
