Investigating the impact of autistic children's feeding difficulties on caregivers.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of children's autism characteristics, sensory profiles and feeding difficulties on caregiver-reported impact at mealtimes.

Background: Caregivers of children (5-12 years) with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder completed an online survey examining (a) demographic characteristics, (b) children's autism characteristics (Social Communication Questionnaire), (c) sensory profiles (Sensory Profile 2-short form), (d) feeding difficulties (Behavioural Paediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale, BPFAS) and (c) caregiver-reported impact of feeding difficulties (Feeding-Swallowing Impact Survey, FS-IS).

Results: Seventy-eight caregivers completed surveys for 80 children.