Sensory Processing Dysfunction and Mealtime Behavior Problems in Children With Autism

To compare sensory processing and mealtime problem behaviors among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing controls, and to examine the relationship between atypical sensory processing and eating problems in children with ASD.

50 children (4-10 years) with a diagnosis of ASD as per DSM-5 were recruited from the pediatric psychology clinic of a tertiary care center in India. The Brief Assessment of Mealtime Behavior in Children (BAMBIC) and the Short Sensory Profile (SSP) were administered to measure feeding and sensory processing problems, respectively. Parents were interviewed about their child's dietary intake using a 3-day dietary recall.

The ASD group showed greater mealtime behavior problems than the control group and had significantly higher total scores on the BAMBIC (P<0.001), and on two of the three subscales including food refusal (P<0.001) and disruptive behavior (P<0.001). The ASD group, relative to the neurotypical children, showed atypical response on majority of the subscales of the short sensory profile including tactile sensitivity (P<0.001), taste sensitivity (P<0.001), movement sensitivity (P<0.001), under responsiveness (P<0.001), auditory filtering (P<0.001), low weak/energy (P=0.02), and visual/auditory sensitivity (P<0.001).

The study underscores the need for detailed evaluation of sensory processing and feeding problems of children with ASD so that the interventions can be tailored to address their unique sensory characteristics.