Oral Sensory Issues with Feeding and Communication Skills in Autistic Children

Abstract: Objectives: Oral sensory, communication, and feeding issues are frequently observed to co-occur in autistic children. The study attempted to explore the association between oral sensory deficits, feeding, and communication deficits in autistic children. Methods: Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS), Child Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2), and Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant/Toddler Checklist (CSBS-DP) were administered to forty autistic children in the age range of 2.5-7 years. The correlation among the three domains was determined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results: A low negative correlation was found between SP-2 scores and CSBS-DP (r = −0.24, p = 0.13), indicating that the higher the oral sensory scores, the poorer the communication skills. SP-2 and BPFAS scores had a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.47, p = 0.002) i.e., higher scores in SP-2 were associated with higher scores in feeding, indicating that oral sensory issues were directly related to the feeding issues. Conclusions: The overall findings indicated that the presence of oral sensory issues is associated with feeding and communication deficits in autistic children. Study Registration: Clinical Trial Registry of India CTRI/2020/07/02681.