Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rasd Eating problems and patterns among toddlers and young boys with and without autism spectrum disorders R.E. Vissoker a, ⁎ , Y. Latzer b,c , O. Stolar d , A. Rabenbach a , E. Gal a a School of Occupational Therapy, University of Haifa, Israel b School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Israel c Eating Disorders Institute, Rambam Medical Center, Israel d Autism Center at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Israel ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Autism spectrum disorders Eating problems Eating patterns Children ABSTRACT Background: Eating and feeding problems are common comorbidities among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) yet the reasons for this are unclear, and relatively few studies have compared the eating problems seen in ASD to a typically developing control group. Methods: Differences in eating problems and patterns between children with ASD and typically developing children were assessed, as well as correlations with age as well as differences between eating problems and patterns between toddlers (aged 2–3 years) and young boys (aged 3–7) with ASD. A total of 105 children with ASD and 95 typically developing children were included in the study. Of the 91 toddlers, 65 had a diagnosis of ASD and of the 112 young boys, 40 had a diagnosis of ASD. Results: Children with ASD displayed significantly more eating problems in every domain as- sessed than children with typical development. The overall effect of age was found only in ri- tualistic behavior during eating, which older children displayed more than younger children. In addition, typically developing children ate a significantly greater variety of all food groups than children with ASD, except drinks and snacks. An overall age effect was also found. Younger children ate a greater variety than older children in the majority of food groups, except for drinks, snacks and meats. Conclusion: This study supports previous findings regarding the greater incidence of eating problems and patterns among children with ASD and provides new findings about the role of age in eating problems. More research is needed to shed light on underlying causes of eating pro- blems and patterns in ASD. 1. Introduction Eating and feeding problems are common comorbidities in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Parents and clinicians frequently report on the challenges of getting them to eat; texture and taste sensitivities as well as restriction and rejection of food groups often represent shared experiences among these children (Diolordi, del Balzo, Bernabei, Vitiello, & Donini, 2014; Matson & Fodstad, 2009; Schreck & Williams, 2006). Despite repeated reports that children with ASD consume a smaller variety of foods than typical children, few studies have actually compared the eating problems seen in ASD to a typically developing control group (Bandini et al., 2010; Curtin et al., 2015; Schreck, Williams, & Smith, 2004). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2018.12.001 Received 27 January 2018; Received in revised form 23 October 2018; Accepted 3 December 2018 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Abba Hushi St. Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel. E-mail address: ronientenvissoker@gmail.com (R.E. Vissoker). Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 59 (2019) 1–9 1750-9467/ © 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd. T