7 Additionally, some children with ASD and/or intellectual disability may not understand the difference between food and non-food items. 6 Furthermore, sensory processing difficulties that are commonly reported in children with ASD may result in both atypical eating and pica behavior. However, there is a pattern of atypical eating behaviors, such as limited food preferences and hypersensitivity to food textures, among children with ASD. It is not well understood why children with ASD are more likely to eat non-food items. If Your Child with ASD Eats Non-food Items It’s important for caregivers and healthcare providers to be aware of this risk so that they can carefully monitor children, put safety measures in place, and intervene early if a child eats something they shouldn’t. Pica can lead to serious medical and surgical problems, including gastrointestinal parasites, lead toxicity, nutritional deficiencies, choking, poisoning, intestinal obstruction, and perforation resulting in surgery, and even a blood infection, which can be life-threatening. 2 Data also showed that GI symptoms were more common among children with ASD who ate non-food items however, pica behavior did not fully explain the increased risk for GI symptoms among children with ASD and other developmental disabilities. 2 In a recent study, almost 1 in 4 parents of young children with ASD reported that it was sometimes or often true that their child ate non-food items and about 1 in 10 parents reported it was often true.
1 Another less well-known issue among young children with ASD, ASD characteristics, and/or intellectual disability is pica, a condition in which a person repeatedly eats things that aren’t food such as dirt, paint chips, and clay. Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or abdominal pain, also may be more common among children with ASD.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability characterized by varying degrees of difficulties with social, emotional, and communication skills.
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