I was sixteen years old before I started putting sauce on my pasta. This was a huge development; previous milestones had included trying guacamole for the first time at fourteen and adding ketchup to my burgers at fifteen. I was what you might call a “picky eater,” or what researchers categorize as a “food-selective eater.” As an as-yet undiagnosed ADHD-er, what I didn’t know was how common my experiences were.
Neurodivergent children, whose brains process information differently than the neurotypical brain (such as in autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, and obsessive compulsive disorder), have higher rates of food selectivity and “altered sensory processing” as compared to neurotypical children (Rodrigues et al, 2023). Rather than fading with age, these selective preferences often remain and even intensify over time (Kuschner et al 2014). Studies on this topic have primarily focused on white, male, autistic children in higher-income households, so more research is needed to understand how race, gender, income, neurotype, family size, geography, and more can further complicate how a neurodivergent individual makes choices about food.
Understanding neurodivergent dietary needs through a lens of sensory experience can help refine how we approach feeding ourselves and each other. The sauce? I hated how acidic it was in my mouth, how wet it made anything else on my plate, and the horrifically unpleasant texture of accidentally taking a bite with too high of a sauce-to-noodle ratio. The guacamole hadn’t made the cut because I had tried “just one bite” of too many salsas that were too spicy and didn’t trust a new dip to not burn my tongue. And eating the burgers dry, just meat and bun, meant I didn’t have to process as many textures or flavors and feel condiments or juices leaking down my wrists with each bite.
The research shows that ND people are more likely to have a narrow range of foods that are accessible to them from a sensory standpoint, and my experiences (as well as the experiences of my ND community) support that conclusion. As such, mainstream cooking resources may not meet our needs, since their focus tends to be on presenting new and innovative flavor and texture combinations to the neurotypical eater.
Comment below what your biggest sensory challenge is when it comes to eating! Do you have any strategies for avoiding or managing that challenge?
Works Cited:
Kuschner, E. S., Eisenberg, I. W., Orionzi, B., Simmons, W. K., Kenworthy, L., Martin, A., & Wallace, G. L. (2015). A preliminary study of self-reported food selectivity in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 15–16, 53–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2015.04.005
Rodrigues, J. V. S., Poli, M. C. F., Petrilli, P. H., Dornelles, R. C. M., Turcio, K. H., & Theodoro, L. H. (2023). Food selectivity and neophobia in children with autism spectrum disorder and neurotypical development: A systematic review. Nutrition Reviews, 81(8), 1034–1050. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuac112
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