All you need to know about food plan for children with autism

Children with autism have eating issues and a narrow diet consisting of grain products. They also have sensory hypersensitivities where they dislike a change in their diet. They are also sensitive towards certain textures and colors and hate to try a new dish. A dietician prepares a perfect diet plan for autism to help children overcome their unusual eating behaviors and to ensure they consume a proper diet with all the essential nutrients.

Poor eating habits and feeding-issues are related to sensory challenges. Children with autism can get easily appeased or upset by certain foods that have strong smells, tastes or specific textures. According to dietician Sirisha, there is a correlation between eating difficulties and gastrointestinal problems detected in children with autism. They tend to show adverse behavior such as aggressiveness and tantrum due to the pain and discomfort from bloating, diarrhea or acidity. Solving the underlying gastrointestinal problems with a diet plan for autism can relieve the pain, and help children to control their emotions and to behave properly.

A gluten-free and casein-free diet can also help in reducing the symptoms of autism and in improving behavior in children with gastrointestinal dysfunction. Children on this diet showed favourable improvement in attention span, speech, eye contact, and social responsiveness.