Original Articles
AI Nü-tian, ZHANG Qian, YANG Ting, CHEN Jie, CHEN Li, DAI Ying, JIA Fei-yong, WU Li-jie, HAO Yan, LI Ling, ZHANG Jie, KE Xiao-yan, YI Ming-ji, HONG Qi, CHEN Jin-jin, FANG Shuan-feng, WANG Yi-chao, WANG Qi, JIN Chun-hua, LI Ting-yu
Objective To investigate the relationship between severely picky eating and the core symptoms among children with autism spectrum disorder(ASD),so as to provide reference for early identification and targeted intervention. Methods From May 2018 to December 2019,1 349 children aged 2 to 7 years were enrolled in this study from 13 hospitals in 13 cities across the country,meanwhile 1 170 typically developed children were recruited. A self-made questionnaire was used to investigate the picky eating status of ASD children. Autism Behavior Scale(ABC),Social Response Scale(SRS) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale(CARS) were used to assess the core symptoms of ASD children. Linear regression was used to analyze the impact of severely picky eating on physical growth and core symptoms of ASD. Results The rate of severely picky eating in ASD children was 56.5%(763/1 349),which was 29.7%(348/1 170) in TD children. It was found that ASD and the age of children in two groups were risk factors for occurrence of severe picky eating after adjusting for confounding factors(OR=3.075,1.183,1.156,P<0.05). Severely picky eating significantly affected ASD children's weight,body mass index(BMI),scores of ABC scale and subscales,scores of SRAS scale and subscales(β=-0.220,-0.319,6.305,1.139,2.111,1.043,1.427,0.946,5.908,0.597,1.029,1.517,1.328,1.503,P<0.05). Conclusions There is a high incidence and persistence of severely picky eaters in autistic children. Severely picky eating has significant impact on children's weight growth and BMI,and is associated with core symptoms of ASD. Therefore,clinical medical staff should pay more attention to the assessment of picky eating behaviors in ASD children,so as to carry out early identification and precise intervention of children.