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Updated: Jul 30, 2025
A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity
Published on: August 21, 2015
Brief Report: Decreased Bone Health in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake
Noreen Islam1, Kristin L Hathaway2, Brooke S Anderson3
1Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, 2015 Uppergate Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. noreenislam09@gmail.com.
Purpose:
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and food selectivity are at increased risk for nutritional deficiencies which could affect bone health.
Methods:
We report on four male patients with ASD and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) with significant bone conditions including rickets, vertebral compression fractures, osteopenia, and slipped capital femoral epiphyses.
Results:
Each patient was at risk for at least one nutritional deficiency. Two out of four patients had deficiencies in Vitamins A, B12, E, and zinc. Calcium and Vitamin D deficiency were noted in all four. Two out of four patients with Vitamin D deficiency developed rickets.
Conclusion:
Provisional evidence suggests that children with ASD and ARFID are at elevated risk for serious adverse bone health outcomes.
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