The Role of Occupational Therapy in Managing Food Selectivity of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review.

Laura Reche-Olmedo,Manuela Garcia-De-La-Hera,Laura María Compañ-Gabucio,Laura Torres-Collado

doi:10.3390/children8111024

Abstract

Food selectivity is common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It can be defined as the unwillingness to eat common or new foods, resulting in a lack of variety in the diet or limited food consumption for multiple reasons, such as inflexibility or sensory alterations. We conducted a peer scoping review to describe the interventions that are carried out from occupational therapy (OT) in children with ASD with food selectivity. Two authors independently searched the databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE, as well as the OT journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports. Articles exploring OT interventions in children (≤12 years) with ASD and food selectivity, published in Spanish or English, with experimental design, and with full text available were included. Of the 1445 articles identified, 8 articles met the inclusion criteria. Three main intervention categories were identified: sensory–behavioral, family focused, and other interventions. Most of the interventions from OT were aimed at treating sensory–behavioral aspects. Only three articles described interventions led exclusively by occupational therapists, and the rest were led by a multidisciplinary team. Finally, although these interventions are not exclusive to OT, occupational therapists can participate together with other professionals as an essential component in the treatment of food selectivity in children with ASD.

Highlights

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent impairments in communication, social interaction in different contexts, and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behavioral patterns that directly affect social, occupational, and daily functioning [1,2]
The diagnosis of ASD was confirmed by an interdisciplinary team (n = 2) [41,47] using different methods such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) [41,42], ICD-10 checklist [47], DSM-5 checklist [42], interviews with the children’s parents [41] and review of medical records [46]
Results of family-focused interventions showed an increase in food preferences and a decrease in inappropriate mealtime behaviors. These results are consistent with the results found by Miyajima et al [31]; according to their study, an intervention based on the person–environment–occupation model focused on parents can reduce picky eating behaviors in children

Summary

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent impairments in communication, social interaction in different contexts, and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behavioral patterns that directly affect social, occupational, and daily functioning [1,2]. The prevalence of this disorder, which is more common in boys, has been increasing in recent decades [3], and it currently affects 62/10,000 children worldwide, which translates into 1 child out of 160 [4,5]. Picky eating is most common in the first year of life from the time of introducing the first complementary foods (i.e., vegetables and fruits) [15]

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