Sensory Sensitivity and Food Selectivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that oral sensory sensitivity causes food selectivity. Parents reported sensory responses with a questionnaire, and the authors note this may include caregiver bias rather than direct observation. The study was advertised as a mealtime and physical activity study, so parents of children with feeding difficulties may have been more likely to take part. The food measures could not distinguish foods the child refused from foods the parent did not offer because of past refusal. The Food Frequency Questionnaire was limited to listed foods, and the 3-day food record may not represent a child's usual diet. The study did not collect parents' own food preferences, which may affect what foods are offered at home. Children from a wider range of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds were not represented, so the findings may not generalise. The study did not assess oral sensory under-sensitivity, which may relate to different eating behaviours. Analyses of food selectivity and oral sensory status were limited to children with ASD because too few typically developing children scored Atypical.

The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest. The supplied text does not state a funding source.

Do not conclude that oral sensory sensitivity causes food selectivity or that changing food texture or using sensory integration will improve a child's diet. This paper reports associations from a cross-sectional sample and does not test a feeding intervention.