AUT-MENU: Improving Meal Experience of Subjects With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Summary

The main goal of this multi-center interventional study is to improve the meal experience of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder trough the development of menus for collective catering targeted to their nutritional and sensory needs and the drafting of nutritional indications that can be a reference for collective catering nationwide. After an initial assessment of participants' consumption of meals in the collective service, menus adapted to their nutritional and sensory needs will be administered, and consumption between the initial and adapted menus will be compared. A population subgroup will also be selected whose caregivers will be invited to participate in a nutrition education course with the aim of providing parents of subjects with ASD, with knowledge tools to learn how to identify, manage and reduce their children's attitudes of food selectivity.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

OTHER

Administration of menus of collective catering adapted to the sensory and nutritional needs of subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The AUT-MENU intervention study will be structured in two phases: a preliminary observation phase (T0), which will assess and describe the acceptance of standard meals in the context of collective catering in primary and high schools by the subjects enrolled in the study; and an intervention phase (T1) in which the acceptance of menus targeted to the nutritional and sensory needs of the same subjects enrolled at T0 will be assessed. The revision of the standard menus will be carried 1) balancing energy and macronutrient content, 2) promoting adequate weekly food frequencies consumption and portions, to provide an adequate and sustainable menus 3) adapting the sensory characteristics of the foods offered to the sensory needs of individuals with ASD. The acceptance of the targeted menus by the enrolled population will be evaluated through meal evaluation forms. These results will be compared with the ones collected during the first observational phase (T0).

OTHER

Nutrition education course aimed at caregivers of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

A population subgroup will also be selected whose caregivers will be invited to participate in a nutrition education course with the aim of providing parents of subjects with ASD, with knowledge tools to learn how to identify, manage and reduce their children's attitudes of food selectivity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (CREA)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Pavia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Hellas Cena, MD · University of Pavia

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

5 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-09-01

Primary Completion

2025-06-01

Completion

2025-11-30

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations