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Psychiatric Symptoms and Comorbidities in Autism Spectrum Disorder pp 67–78Cite as

Feeding and Eating Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

It is well known that feeding and eating problems, such as atypical eating behaviors at mealtime, are common in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Moreover, it is widely described that girls with a diagnosis of ASD are at greater risk of developing a feeding and eating disorder (FED). Studies published so far have reported highly variable prevalence rates of co-occurring FEDs and ASD ranging from 4 to 37 %. Indeed, a new line of research has supported the assumption of similar behavioral and cognitive features in FEDs and ASD. In clinical practice, several issues make difficult the distinction between these conditions (i.e., the characteristics of the female autistic phenotype are difficult to be recognized, the starvation itself can produce a condition that can be misinterpreted as autism, or the strong preferences of autistic children for repetition that may interfere with eating are difficult to distinguish from a more structured eating disorder). For these reasons, practical information for clinicians on the prevalence, phenomenology and clinical features, diagnostic process, neurobiological and genetic bases, and treatment of FEDs in ASD will be described in the present chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Valentina Postorino

  2. Department of Neuroscience, I.R.C.C.S. Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Rome, Italy

    Valentina Postorino & Luigi Mazzone

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  1. Valentina Postorino
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Correspondence to Valentina Postorino .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy

    Luigi Mazzone

  2. National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Benedetto Vitiello

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Postorino, V., Mazzone, L. (2016). Feeding and Eating Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder. In: Mazzone, L., Vitiello, B. (eds) Psychiatric Symptoms and Comorbidities in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29695-1_5

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