Association between pica and gastrointestinal symptoms in preschoolers with and without autism spectrum disorder: Study to Explore Early Development.
Victoria L Fields, Gnakub N Soke, Ann Reynolds and 8 others
PMID 33358227WHAT IT FOUND
Preschoolers who ate non-food items had significantly more vomiting, diarrhea, and loose stools than those who did not, regardless of whether they had autism or other developmental disabilities.
However, pica did not explain the higher rate of gut symptoms seen in children with autism compared to typical peers.
Key findings
01In all study groups, children with pica had a higher prevalence of vomiting, diarrhea, and loose stools than children without pica.
02Pica did not fully explain the disparity in gastrointestinal symptom prevalence between children with autism or other developmental disabilities and the general population.
03Children with pica in the general population group had higher rates of loose stools, but this association approached statistical significance without reaching it.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The data is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that pica caused the GI symptoms or vice versa. Assessment relied entirely on parent report, which may miss subtle symptoms or misinterpret behaviors. The study could not separate the effects of intellectual disability from autism due to sample size constraints. The findings may not generalize to populations outside the six US sites studied.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial relationships and no conflicts of interest relevant to the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that eliminating pica will resolve gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism or other developmental disabilities. The study found that children with these conditions had higher rates of GI symptoms even when pica was not present, indicating other underlying factors are at play.