Autism in Children: A Nutritional Guide For Parents

Autism is a pervasive mental disorder that develops in the first few years of a child. It is characterised by abnormal development in social interaction and communication, purposeless monotonous hyperactivity with lack of interest, etc. The condition can worsen if a proper diet is not followed. Here is what you need to know!

Autism is a neurobiological and developmental disorder, which affects 1 in 160 children. Characterised by difficulties in social interactions and verbal and non-verbal communication, it also affects the child's educational performance. Repetitive behaviour, difficulty in adapting to a changed routine, inability in learning different skills, anxiety, unusual responses to sensory changes, and sleep disorder can be seen in children suffering from autism.

Autism adversely affects the health of the child especially if they follow unhealthy eating habits. Inclination to junk food or overconsumption of energy-dense food and sugary things lead to weight gain and further to metabolic disorders. Children with autism suffer mostly from nutrition depletion due to their behavioural changes and feeding-related issues. Poor nutrition leads to the risk of developing different metabolic diseases in the later years of their life. Calcium and protein deficiencies can easily be seen in these children, which further affects their cognitive development and physical growth.

Food allergies are also common in children, allergies with seafood, eggs, peanut, gluten, casein, tree nuts, soy and fish are common. In case of a food allergy, the particular item shouldn't be part of their diet, but their nutritional content must be replaced with some other equally nutrient-rich food item. A proper meal plan is very important for a child with autism.

Ms. Arthi Gavatre, Occupation Therapist opined that "We commonly come across feeding problems like selective eating or refusal to eat based on texture. Most of the time their diet is far away from a balanced diet. They might just be eating junk food for most meals in a day. What does this lead to? Of course to gastrointestinal issues like bloating, constipation, leaky gut, allergies, diarrhoea leads to irritability, sleep issues".

Importance of nutrition

Diet and nutrition play an important role in everyone's life. To feed an autistic child is a difficult task, which is why they are at the risk of developing multiple nutritional deficiencies. Children with autism generally suffer from eating disorders, food intolerance, food allergies and nutrient deficiencies. There is no ASD specific diet, but based on research excluding some proteins like gluten (wheat protein) and casein (milk protein) works better in some cases.

So overall one can say that nutritional management therapy for these children will vary depending on their symptoms. Some children also experience GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), abdominal distension, bloating, chronic diarrhoea, gastric discomforts etc. due to faulty eating habits. Adopting an appropriate diet is necessary to improve a child's nutritional status. Continuous monitoring of their diet will help to ease the symptoms. Adequate dietary management is required in conditions like obesity, overweight or underweight (due to lack of proper nutrition). Many studies also show the benefit of including omega 3, probiotics and multivitamins.

"Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show different compositions of gut microbiota. Specifically, the severity of Gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with ASD has been linked to the derangement of the gut microbiota. Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that are ingested as food or pills. These beneficial bacteria, when added in sufficient amounts, can correct dysbiosis. Because probiotics have shown success in treating irritable bowel syndrome, it is likely to help reduce the behavioural symptoms of ASD as well," said Dr. Daljeet Kaur, Consultant Psychiatrist, Continental Hospitals.

A child with autism and seizure disorder can be treated better by giving them a ketogenic diet (a diet high in fat, moderate protein, low carbs). A Keto diet has some side effects too so this should be followed under the supervision of a qualified dietician only.

Parenting guide

Feeding an autistic child can be challenging for parents or caregivers. But proper awareness, knowledge of nutrition therapies and proper monitoring of treatments can really help you.

Tips for parents

• Firstly, remember that disability sometimes means ability.
• Autistic persons have special characteristics like following the same routine which is a good habit. So from the very beginning try to make their routine healthy. Set up a schedule like a fixed time for meals, study and sleep. Pre-planning will be required, to follow the same routine every day.
• To know the food allergies of your child. Exclude casein (milk protein) and gluten (wheat protein) from the child's diet. Casein free milk can be given like almond milk, soy milk etc. Similarly replace gluten-containing food items with sorghum, ragi, amaranth, and millet varieties. Because we don't want to deplete their nutrition by exclusion.
• Now observe the symptoms and the behaviour of the child during this exclusion period. Keep a diary to note all symptoms. This record will help your doctor and dietician too. After a week of elimination, slowly start reintroducing one food at a time to see its effects. Accordingly, judge the allergies of your child.
• Implementation of these dietary changes may not be easy for parents, but this is the safest approach to find out what is best suited for your child.
• As per the researches deficiency of folic acid and Vitamin D in expecting mothers is one of the reasons for the generation of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. To prevent supplementation of these nutrients shouldn't be neglected.

(IANS)