Flourish - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 31
Understanding Autism
and Its Link to Eating
Sensory Sensitivities and
foods that feel familiar,
Food Aversions
safe, and easy to tolerate—
Au琀椀sm Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) is a lifelong
neurodevelopmental
condi琀椀on that in昀氀uences
a person’s ability to
communicate, move,
self-regulate, and interact
socially. According to
the Australian Bureau of
Sta琀椀s琀椀cs (2024), ASD
a昀昀ects 3.7% of children
aged 5–9 and 4.4% of
those aged 10–14.
One of the key reasons
children with ASD
struggle with ea琀椀ng is
due to how they process
sensory informa琀椀on. Many
experience heightened
or atypical responses to
sensory s琀椀muli such as
texture, colour, temperature,
smell, and even the
packaging of foods.
though these may lack the
For families, meal琀椀mes
can become a daily source
of concern and emo琀椀onal
strain. In children with
ASD, food selec琀椀vity
isn’t just about being
“picky”—it can mean an
extremely limited diet,
some琀椀mes as restric琀椀ve
as just one to 昀椀ve foods.
These food preferences
tend to persist and can
signi昀椀cantly impact a
child’s nutri琀椀onal intake,
growth, and development.
nutri琀椀onal variety needed
for healthy development.
Interoception: Tuning
into the Body’s Cues
Interocep琀椀on is the
body’s ability to sense
what’s going on inside—
like feeling hungry, full,
thirsty, or needing the
toilet. This process helps
Some children may only eat
crunchy, dry foods, while
others might favour so昀琀,
smooth textures. Strong
smells, s琀椀cky or lumpy
foods, or anything that feels
unpredictable can lead to
immediate rejec琀椀on. These
responses are not just
preference—they re昀氀ect
how their nervous systems
interpret sensory signals
from the environment.
us understand our internal
The sensory system
doesn’t just rely on the 昀椀ve
tradi琀椀onal senses. It also
includes propriocep琀椀on
(awareness of body
posi琀椀on and movement)
and interocep琀椀on (internal
sensa琀椀ons like hunger
or pain). When a child
experiences sensory
overload—for instance,
when mul琀椀ple textures or
smells are present—it can
lead to food refusal, distress,
or nega琀椀ve behaviours.
mouth or pushing food
states and respond
appropriately. For children
with ASD, interocep琀椀on
can be altered or impaired,
making it di昀케cult to
recognise hunger or
sa琀椀ety cues.
In typical development,
babies and toddlers clearly
show signs of hunger or
fullness (like opening their
away). However, these
signals may be muted or
misunderstood in children
with ASD, leading to
irregular ea琀椀ng pa琀琀erns or
inconsistent appe琀椀te.
Without a reliable internal
signal guiding them,
children may skip meals,
eat too li琀琀le or too much,
or struggle with selfregula琀椀on around food.
Combined with sensory
sensi琀椀vi琀椀es, this can further
Understandably, children
may gravitate towards
restrict dietary variety and
nutri琀椀onal balance.
