Scales Assessing Eating Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Cristiane Pinheiro Lázaro
Jean Caron
Milena Pereira Pondé

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired social interaction, impaired verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive, stereotyped, and restricted patterns of behavior and interests. Mealtime behavioral problems related to food refusal and selectivity were found to affect the health of this population negatively. A systematic literature review was conducted regarding existing evaluation instruments by searching PubMed, Cochrane, SciELO, Lilacs, Science Direct, and Embase databases using combinations of the following keywords: autism, autism spectrum disorder, eating disorders, selective eating, eating behavior, food selectivity, eating problems, sensory processing disorders, questionnaire, evaluation, scale, inventory, and screening tool. Fifty-two studies were found, five of which met the inclusion criteria. The review identified significant methodological limitations in the studies and revealed the need for a new instrument to take the parents’ views and the severity of the disorder into consideration.

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Psychological Assessment

References

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