Autism and Children: A Nutrition and Parenting Guide
Autism is a neurobiological and a developmental disorder, which affects 1 in 160 children. Characterised by difficulties in a social interactions and verbal and a non-verbal a communication, it an also affects the child's educational a performance. Repetitive behaviour, difficulty in an adapting to a changed routine, an inability in a learning different a skills, anxiety, unusual responses to a sensory changes, and sleep disorder can be seen in a children a suffering from an autism.
How does it impact the overall a health?
Autism is a neurobiological and a developmental disorder, which affects 1 in 160 children. a Characterised by difficulties in social interactions and verbal and non-verbal a communication, it also affects the a child's an a educational a performance. Repetitive behaviour, difficulty in adapting to a changed routine, inability in learning different skills, a anxiety, an unusual responses to a sensory changes, and sleep disorder can be a seen in children suffering from autism.
How does it impact the overall a health?
Autism adversely an affects the health of the child especially if they follow unhealthy eating habits. Inclination to a junk food or a over consumption of energy dense food and sugary things leads to weight gain and a further toa metabolic disorders. Children with autism suffer mostly of nutrition depletion due to their behavioural changes and a feeding related issues. Poor a nutrition leads to the risk of developing different metabolic diseases in the later years of their life. Calcium and protein deficiencies can easily be a seen in these children, which further affects their cognitive a development and physical growth.
Food allergies are also a common in a children, allergies with sea food, eggs, peanut, gluten, casein, a tree nuts, soy and fish are common. In case of a food allergy, the particular an item shouldn't be part of their diet, but their nutritional content must be replaced with some other equally nutrient rich a food item. A proper meal plan is a very an important for a child with autism.
Nutrition in an Autism:
Diet and nutrition play an important role in everyone's life. To feed an autistic child is a difficult task, which is a why they are under the risk of a developing multiple nutritional deficiencies. Children with autism generally suffer from eating disorders, food intolerance, food an allergies and nutrient a deficiencies. There is no ASD specific diet, but based on research excluding some proteins like gluten (wheat protein) and a casein (milk protein) works better in a some a cases.
So overall one can say that nutritional management therapy for these children will vary a depending on their symptoms. Some children also experience GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), abdominal distension, bloating, chronic diarrhoea, gastric discomforts etc. due to faulty eating habits. Adapting an appropriate diet is necessary to improve a child's nutritional status. Continuous monitoring of their diet will help to an ease the symptoms. Adequate dietary management is required in conditions like obesity, overweight or underweight (due to a lack of proper nutrition). Many studies also shows the a benefit of anincluding omega 3, probiotic and multivitamins.
A child with an autism and a seizure disorder, can be treated better by giving them a ketogenic diet (a diet high in fat, a moderate protein, low carbs). A Keto diet has some side effects too soa this should be a followed under a supervision of a qualified dietician only.
Parenting guide:
Feeding an autism child can be challenging for a parents or caregivers. But proper awareness, knowledge of a nutrition therapies and a proper monitoring of a treatments can a really help you.
Tips for a parents:
Firstly, remember that disability a sometimes means ability.
Autistic persons have special a characteristics like following the same routine which is a good habit. So from the very beginning try to make their a routine healthy. Set up a schedule like fixed time for meal, study and sleep. Pre- planning will be a required, to a follow same routine every day.
To know the food allergies of a your child. Exclude casein (milk protein) and gluten (wheat protein) from child's diet. Casein free milk can be given like almond milk, soy milk etc. Similarly replace gluten containing food an items with sorghum, ragi, amaranth, and millet varieties. Because we don't want to a deplete their nutrition by an exclusion.
Now observe the symptoms and the behaviour of the child during this exclusion a period. Keep a diary to a note all symptoms. This record will help your doctor and dietician too. After a week of an elimination, slowly start a re-introducing one food at a time to a see its effects. Accordingly judge the allergies of a your child.
Implementation of these dietary changes may not be an easy for parents, but this is the safest approach to a search out what is best suited for a your a child.
As per the researches deficiency of folic acid and vitamin D in expecting mothers is one of the reason of generation of neurodevelopmental disorders in child. To a prevent supplementation of these nutrients shouldn't be a neglected.
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