Older adolescents (aged 15–19 years) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
may be at a high risk of developing poor dietary habits as they begin to transition
out of a structured high school environment.
1
,2
Youth with ASD are at a greater risk of obesity than neurotypical youth, which may
be partly the result of poor dietary behaviors, namely food selectivity.
3
Studies have estimated that 46% to 89% of youth with ASD have some form of food selectivity,
which is linked with an increased risk of obesity as adolescents enter adulthood.
4
Such behaviors tend to result in nutritional deficiencies and excessive consumption
of high-energy dense foods.
3
Therefore, it is critical to improve dietary behaviors in adolescents with ASD while
enhancing their ability to live independently by providing the skills and knowledge
to purchase, prepare, and consume healthy food items.
5
Unfortunately, there are limited programs that have addressed nutrition habits in
older adolescents with ASD, and even fewer designed to teach cooking skills and healthy
nutrition choices in this population.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 12, 2021
Accepted:
June 1,
2021
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
