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Selective Eating in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Child and Parent Factors

Tanner, Kelly Jane
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1406120154

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Selective eating is a significant problem for many children with ASD and their families. An estimated 46-89% of children with ASD have feeding problems (Ledford & Gast, 2006); food refusal and limited acceptance are the most commonly reported as the most common (Schreck & Williams, 2006). Although there is currently no standard definition, selective eating has been described as a combination of limited food variety and a high rate of food refusal (Bandini et al., 2010). Children with selective eating may have nutritional deficiencies due to their limited dietary variety (Zimmer et al., 2012). Selective eating has been primarily referred to as a discreet challenging or repetitive behavior in the intervention literature (Sharp et al., 2010); however, children with selective eating can have additional challenging behaviors which may complicate their clinical picture (Johnson et al., 2014). In addition, parents of children with ASD may be at risk for increased parenting stress, depression symptoms, and mental health problems due to their child’s feeding problems (Davis & Carter, 2008; Estes et al., 2009). The discovery of factors associated with selective eating can help determine appropriate treatment targets. The objective of this dissertation is to determine child and parent factors associated with selective eating, both through a scoping review of the literature and through a cohort study of a sample of children with ASD ages 4-10 and their parents. Results of the scoping review and the cohort study indicate that selective eating is a multifaceted problem that warrants comprehensive, interdisciplinary assessment and intervention that takes the family context into account. Each child’s health status, sensory reactivity, psychosocial well-being, and physiological features should be considered along with selective eating and related challenging behaviors. Future research is needed to explore factors intrinsic to the child that are associated with selective eating, such as oral motor difficulties and stress responses during the presentation of new foods. In addition, the long-term impacts of selective eating on health and participation should be studied. Additional studies are also needed to understand attitudes of parents toward their child’s selective eating, the development of coping styles, and physiological correlates of stress during mealtime.
Amy Darragh (Advisor)
Marcia Nahikian-Nelms (Committee Member)
Karen Ratliff-Schaub (Committee Member)
Colleen Spees (Committee Member)
154 p.
Health Sciences; Occupational Therapy

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Tanner, K. J. (2014). Selective Eating in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Child and Parent Factors [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1406120154

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Tanner, Kelly. Selective Eating in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Child and Parent Factors. 2014. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1406120154.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Tanner, Kelly. "Selective Eating in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Child and Parent Factors." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1406120154

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1406120154
2,362
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.