Seletividade alimentar em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista: um estudo em Araranguá - SC

Abstract

The Autistic Spectrum Disorder - ASD is a change in neurodevelopment, characterized by restricted and stereotyped behaviors, attitudes and interests that, according to the World Health Organization - WHO is present in approximately 1% of the world's population. In addition to the stereotyped behavioral manifestations, communication deficits and difficulty in social interaction, many individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder have alterations in eating behavior. Food selectivity can be defined as food refusal, the smallest repertoire of accepted foods and the frequent ingestion of only a single food. An observational study with a cross-sectional design was carried out with caregivers of 43 children aged 0 to 18 attended at an institution in the extreme south of Santa Catarina. Data collection used a questionnaire validated in Brazil and the analysis was performed using the SPSS 21.0 software. The results indicate that the male-female ratio is 3.2. The majority of children eat with their mouths open, avoid foods such as fruits and vegetables, and remain restless during meals. Although some characteristics of children with ASD are similar, there are behavioral and neurological particularities in each one of them. Thus, the assessment of food selectivity must be individualized, as well as medical and therapeutic approaches.