Children with autism spectrum disorder have eating challenges and numerous eating disorders, and it is difficult to recognize and treat these issues early due to specific aspects of the disease. According to research published in the journal Autism and developmental disorders, children with autism spectrum disorder suffer food and nutrition difficulties five times more frequently than children who are not diagnosed with the illness. This is related to a variety of factors, the most significant of which are recurrent digestive diseases such as colic, constipation, reflux, and vomiting. Furthermore, several treatment procedures used to treat the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder may produce a decrease or increase in appetite or may interfere with the absorption of some critical vitamins and minerals.
As a result, it is critical to understand the drug’s negative effects and discuss them with a specialized doctor. Some children on the autism spectrum have sensory issues that cause an aversion to certain types and textures of food. Aside from the inability to discriminate between satiety and the use of eating as a relaxing action, another difficulty is chronic overeating, which leads to obesity. Pica disorder is characterized by the consumption of non-food things, which is more frequent among autistic children.
Although these dietary issues may not be seen as a concern, deficits throughout infancy can result in malnutrition or undernutrition, posing an extra problem for children’s normal development and growth.
Written by:
Dr. Hidaia Alnajjar
Pharmacist Incharge
Certified Life Coach
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