title: Dietary adequacy of children with autism compared with controls and the impact of restricted diet.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Children with autism (AUT) may consume a restricted diet relative to typical peers, whether due to therapeutic measures or sensory sensitivities. The objective of this study was to compare children with AUT with both typically developing (TYP) and developmentally delayed children on nutrient and food group intake and overall diet quality and to evaluate the impact of diet restriction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three-day food records and interview information were analyzed from 69 children with AUT, 14 children with developmental delay, and 37 TYP children, drawn from a larger longitudinal study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with AUT did not differ significantly from children with other developmental delays on any dietary measures. Although there were differences in the average intake of some nutrients between AUT and typical controls, only calcium and dairy were also less likely to be consumed in adequate amounts by the AUT group. Intentional diet restriction accounted for most of the differences between AUT and typical controls. On average, all groups had inadequate fiber, vitamin D, and vegetable intake. Inadequate intake of folate, grains, and dairy was noted for the AUT subgroup with intentional diet restrictions. Children in the AUT group not following a restricted diet received significantly worse Healthy Eating Index-2005 scores than those following a restricted diet and typical controls. These differences were not nutritionally significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When evaluating nutritional adequacy of children with AUT, special consideration should be given to calcium, folate, dairy, and grains. Diets of all children with AUT should be evaluated for idiosyncratic deficiencies because of unique dietary patterns.
authors.affiliation: *Nutrition Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD; †Pediatrics and Developmental Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Graf-Myles
authors.forename: Cristan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thurm
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Royster
authors.forename: Phoebe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soskey
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rothschild
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Swedo
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002364:Caseins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D055050:Diet, Gluten-Free; D004435:Eating; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D030262:Soybean Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D030262:Soybean Proteins
references.citation: Br J Nutr. 2011 Jul;106(1):130-40
references.pmid: 21679478
references.citation: Autism Res Treat. 2011;2011:541926
references.pmid: 22937249
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2000 Jun;30(3):205-23
references.pmid: 11055457
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 May;38(5):848-56
references.pmid: 17879151
references.citation: JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2012 Nov;36(6):753-5
references.pmid: 22318966
references.citation: J Pediatr. 2010 Aug;157(2):259-64
references.pmid: 20362301
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2009 Feb;39(2):212-22
references.pmid: 18600441
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2012 Apr;42(4):549-56
references.pmid: 21556968
references.citation: Lancet. 2009 Nov 7;374(9701):1627-38
references.pmid: 19819542
references.citation: Eur J Public Health. 2008 Oct;18(5):509-16
references.pmid: 18524803
references.citation: Adv Nutr. 2011 May;2(3):293-4
references.pmid: 22332062
references.citation: Adv Data. 2005 Jul 7;(361):1-5
references.pmid: 16018338
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2011 Feb;14(2):306-13
references.pmid: 20576195
references.citation: Res Dev Disabil. 2006 Jul-Aug;27(4):353-63
references.pmid: 16043324
references.citation: Pediatrics. 2010 Aug;126(2):e337-42
references.pmid: 20643716
references.citation: Nutr Metab (Lond). 2011 Jun 08;8(1):34
references.pmid: 21651783
references.citation: Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2009 Oct-Dec;21(4):237-47
references.pmid: 19917213
references.citation: J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Feb;110(2):238-46
references.pmid: 20102851
references.citation: Pediatrics. 2012 Nov;130 Suppl 2:S145-53
references.pmid: 23118245
references.citation: J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Nov;108(11):1854-64
references.pmid: 18954575
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2004 Aug;34(4):433-8
references.pmid: 15449518
references.citation: J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Aug;108(8):1360-3
references.pmid: 18656577
references.citation: J Am Diet Assoc. 2000 Nov;100(11):1389-96
references.pmid: 11103663
references.citation: Res Autism Spectr Disord. 2012;6(1):399-405
references.pmid: 22936951
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 1994 Oct;24(5):659-85
references.pmid: 7814313
references.citation: J Hum Nutr Diet. 2002 Aug;15(4):261-9
references.pmid: 12153499
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 1982 Mar;12(1):25-34
references.pmid: 6896512
references.citation: J Child Neurol. 2009 Oct;24(10):1288-9
references.pmid: 19638639