Diet Plan for Autism

Autism is a condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, interacts with others, and experiences their environment. It is a lifelong disability that starts when a person is born and stays with them into old age. Every Autistic person is different from every other. This is why autism is described as a 'spectrum'.

Autism or as we call it in Hindi 'swalinta' is a neurological or developmental disorder that may be common to children. Autism has an impact on a child's grasping power, behavior, and understanding.

 

Signs of Autism aka ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

They often appear early in development when there are obvious delays in language skills and social interactions. Your doctor may recommend developmental tests to identify if your child has delays in cognitive, language, and social skills, if your child:

• Doesn't respond with a smile or happy expression by 6 months
• Doesn't mimic sounds or facial expressions by 9 months
• Doesn't babble or coo by 12 months
• Doesn't gesture — such as point or wave — by 14 months
• Doesn't say a single word by 16 months
• Doesn't play "make-believe" or pretend by 18 months
• Doesn't say two-word phrases for 24 months
• Loses language skills or social skills at any age

The reasons for the occurrence of Autism

Autism spectrum disorder has no single known cause it is subject to observation and research.

Given the complexity of the disorder and the fact that symptoms and severity vary, there are probably many causes. Both genetics and environment may play a role.

Several different genes appear to be involved in autism spectrum disorder. For some children, autism spectrum disorder can be associated with a genetic disorder, some genetic mutations seem to be inherited, while others occur spontaneously OR Environmental factors such as viral infections, medications or complications during pregnancy, or air pollutants play a role in triggering autism spectrum disorder.

Research suggests that food-related changes can have a significant impact on many autistic individuals. Thus, it becomes important to have proper nutrition which assists their growth which is already slow; children with ASD are five times more likely to have mealtime challenges such as tantrums, extreme food selectivity, and ritualistic eating behaviors. It is also found that inadequate nutrition is more common among children with autism than in those unaffected by the disorder.

A study found that the most common nutrient insufficiencies in autistic children were folic acid, fiber, calcium, iron, and zinc, as well as vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12, and K.

Food preferences or obsessions cause some children to have too much of one or two of these nutrients.

This is why helping your child get the right balance of these foods and important nutrients is a crucial step in your child’s growth High-sugar foods, Milk and other dairy products, Wheat products, Processed meats or Processed snacks such as chips, crackers, cookies, etc. can be avoided as these may cause issues in children on the spectrum.

Although Autism is not caused by food-related challenges or malnutrition, for many individuals, there is a connection between food and autism.

We at Nutrishilp understand the complexity of ASD and are available to assist in dealing with this condition.