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Feeding Self-Help Skills and Adaptive Behavior Are Related to Feeding Challenge Severity in Autistic Children

Brittany M St John1,2, Hannah Laufenberg3, Mary Sommers3

  • 1Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.

Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
|April 7, 2026
PubMed

Insights

This study found that autistic children with feeding challenges often need significant caregiver support and exhibit lower adaptive behaviors. Feeding skills, challenge severity, mealtime factors, and adaptive behavior are interconnected.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Feeding Disorders
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Child Development and Behavior

Background:

  • Autistic children frequently experience feeding challenges impacting daily life.
  • Feeding self-help skills are crucial for independence and development.
  • Understanding these skills is vital for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe feeding self-help skills in autistic children with feeding challenges.
  • To examine the links between feeding skills, feeding problem severity, family mealtime dynamics, and adaptive behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional national survey of 358 caregivers of autistic children (2-12 years).
  • Utilized validated caregiver-report measures for data collection.
  • Employed descriptive statistics and Pearson's R correlations.

Main Results:

  • Feeding self-help skills, feeding challenge severity, and adaptive behavior showed significant heterogeneity.
  • Children required substantial caregiver assistance during meals and displayed lower adaptive behavior.
  • Correlations (0.11-0.60) confirmed relationships among feeding skills, severity, mealtime factors, and adaptive behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Feeding self-help skills and adaptive behavior are critical assessment areas for autistic children with feeding issues.
  • Future research should delve into specific feeding components (e.g., utensil use) and sensory aspects.
  • This can inform tailored evaluations and interventions for improved child outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
Adaptive behaviorautismfamily mealtimefeeding challengesfeeding self-help skills

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