انتقائية الطعام و علاقتها بالمشكلات الحسية لدى عينة من الأطفال و المراهقين المصابين باضطراب طيف التوحد : دراسة مقارنة

Abstract EN

Eating problems commonly appear in early childhood, and eating problems in autism include food selectivity, food refusal, disordered eating-time behaviors, and sensory-based food choices.

The aim of the research was to investigate whether food selectivity is the most frequent eating problem in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, studying the differences in food selectivity according to the age stage (childhood - adolescence).

Revealing the relationship between food selectivity and sensory problems, and the predictive ability of the problem of food selectivity on the presence of sensory problems.

This was done through a comparative descriptive study on a sample of (68) mothers of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

The research relied on the brief sensory profile scale prepared (Winne Dunn, 1999), and the eating scale for ordinary and extraordinary (prepared by Qayati, Taher Tariq, 2021).

The study reached several conclusions: Food selectivity is the most frequent eating problem among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, There are no statistically significant differences between the average degrees of food selectivity for people with autism spectrum disorder according to the age stage (childhood - adolescence).

There is a statistically significant correlation between food selectivity and tactile sensitivity, sensitivity to taste and olfactory sensory stimuli, and filtering of auditory sensory input, and auditory/visual sensory sensitivity.

In addition, the research revealed the possibility of predicting sensory problems in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder given their scores on food selectivity.

The research recommended the need to develop appropriate intervention programs to alleviate sensory problems because of their negative effects on the emergence and exacerbation of food selectivity and other eating problems.