Feeding behavioral problems among Egyptian children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Eating problems are prevalent among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Brief Autism Mealtime Behaviors Inventory (BAMBI) has great potential for helping physicians quickly detect feeding issues in autistic children. This study aimed to evaluate feeding behavioral problems and their correlation to ASD severity among children with ASD using the BAMBI and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). This cross-sectional study enrolled 52 Egyptian children with an ASD. An Arabic version of BAMBI was administered to the parents of these children. Data about the participants’ sociodemographics as well as BAMBI and CARS were collected. Our main findings revealed that limited food variety features, such as preferring crunchy food or only sweet foods, were significant problems (57.7% and 52%). The means of the BAMBI and the CARS were 48.11 ± 12.2 and 39.9 ± 9.8, respectively. Living in rural areas, having limited income, elementary education of mothers, unemployed fathers, low birth weight, and neonatal care unit admission, were significantly associated with the BAMBI scale. Children with more severe ASD have a limited variety of behavior during eating than the minimal and moderate ASD groups (p = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). A statistically positive correlation was observed between the BAMBI and CARS (r = 0.4 and p = 0.02). Using the BAMBI scale, Egyptian children with more severe ASD were found to have limited food selectivity. The BAMBI scale was significantly correlated with the CARS, suggesting that the BAMBI may be an effective measure of the severity in autistic children.