Nutritional Intake and Therapies in Autism: A Spectrum of What We Know: Part 1

摘要

Autism is one of the fastest growing developmental disabilities in the United States. With every 1 in 100 children diagnosed with autism, this condition is more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. Core deficits of autism limit functioning in social interaction, communication, and daily activity participation. Individuals with autism typically require significant levels of supervised care, special education resources, and health service throughout life. The nutritional status of children with autism is receiving increasing attention in the field. Nutrient deficiencies have been proposed as a causative factor in the manifestation of the disorder. Further, characteristic autism behaviors and autism-specific interventions may increase the risk of suboptimal nutrition. Part 1 of this paper provides a review as to what is currently known regarding the nutrient intake and/or nutritional status of children with autism, and the myriad factors—both medicalutritional and behavioral/ contextual—likely to impact dietary intake and nutritional status. Part 2 explores nutrition interventions (special diets and dietary supplements or “biomedical” interventions) in terms of safety and efficacy, as well as behavioral interventions used in autism spectrum disorder.