Feeding difficulties, eating disorders and therapeutic approaches in autism spectrum disorder: An overview.

This review looks at eating and feeding problems in autistic children, which are very common. Many autistic children have trouble moving to solid foods, eat a limited variety of foods, and don't like trying new foods. They may also have stomach problems. These eating issues are connected to how autistic children process sensations and their need for routines to stay the same. The review examines different treatment approaches including medications, therapy, and nutrition strategies.

This 2025 review examines feeding difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which are highly prevalent from early development. The authors identify key challenges including difficulty transitioning to solid foods, limited dietary variety, food neophobia, and associated gastrointestinal disorders. The review highlights that feeding problems in ASD are primarily linked to aberrant sensory processing and insistence on sameness - core autistic traits. Additionally, increased gastrointestinal disorders and altered gut microbiome composition in ASD individuals present additional therapeutic considerations.

The review aims to summarize evidence-based therapeutic approaches across pharmacological, psychological, and nutritional domains, though specific findings and recommendations are not detailed in the abstract.

Feeding difficulties in ASD require multi-domain intervention approaches addressing sensory processing, behavioral rigidity, and gastrointestinal health. Early identification and intervention are important given the prevalence from early development. Treatment should consider pharmacological, psychological, and nutritional strategies tailored to individual sensory and behavioral profiles.

As this is a review overview, specific methodological details, sample characteristics, and detailed findings are not provided in the abstract. The evidence quality of included studies and strength of recommendations cannot be assessed from the available information.

Feeding problems are highly prevalent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from early developmental stages. Difficulties during the transition to solid foods, limited dietary variety, and reluctance to try new foods since infancy, combined with gastrointestinal disorders, represent significant concerns for both parents and clinicians from diagnostic and, more importantly, therapeutic perspectives. The primary clinical link between atypical eating behaviors and core autistic symptoms lies in aberrant sensory processing and an insistence on sameness, which have important implications for intervention strategies. Additionally, the increased risk of gastrointestinal disorders and altered gut microbiome composition in individuals with ASD constitute another critical factor, opening avenues for novel therapeutic approaches.

Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize the existing literature on therapeutic approaches for feeding problems in ASD, with a focus on evidence-based practices across pharmacological, psychological, and nutritional domains.