Gender and racial/ethnic differences in food selectivity in children with intellectual disabilities.

The study used a convenience sample of 56 children from Eastern Massachusetts, so it may not represent all children with intellectual disabilities. The sample was small, and the paper says this increased the risk of missing true differences, especially by parent race/ethnicity. Six parents from racial/ethnic groups with few participants were excluded from race/ethnicity comparisons, so the findings apply only to non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic parent groups. Food data relied on parent report and three-day food records; eight children had incomplete or invalid food records and were excluded from food repertoire analyses. Autism spectrum disorder was identified by a screening score as probable, not by confirmed diagnosis; 60.7% of children had probable autism spectrum disorder, which is higher than published estimates of 4% to 28%. Half the sample had Down syndrome, and Down syndrome was more common among girls than boys (72% versus 39%), so girls' results may reflect Down syndrome more than intellectual disabilities generally. The study excluded children with medical conditions that could affect diet or physical activity, so results may not apply to children with such conditions.

Do not conclude that gender or parental race/ethnicity causes food selectivity, or that tailored feeding programmes will work. This small study measured differences in children with intellectual disabilities, not the effects of treatment, and several comparisons were not statistically significant.