Symptomatic Vitamin and Nutrient Deficiencies of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Potential for Treatment.

Children with autism often have very restricted diets due to food sensitivities, preferences, or digestive issues. This puts them at much higher risk of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies - about 5 times more likely than other children. These deficiencies can affect brain development, behavior, sleep, and physical skills. The warning signs can be hard to spot, but if caught and treated early, the problems are usually reversible. If left untreated, some effects could be permanent.

This review examines vitamin and nutritional deficiencies in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), highlighting their increased vulnerability due to restrictive eating patterns. Children with ASD are five times more likely to develop eating problems stemming from food aversion, sensory sensitivities, ritualistic behaviors, or gastrointestinal issues. These dietary restrictions can lead to vitamin and nutrient deficiencies that significantly impact neurodevelopment, cognition, motor and sensory function, behavior, and sleep. The review emphasizes that deficiency symptoms can be subtle and easily overlooked by clinicians, potentially leading to permanent complications if untreated.

However, with timely identification and appropriate treatment, symptoms are often reversible, underscoring the importance of proactive nutritional screening and intervention.

Clinicians should implement routine nutritional screening for children with ASD, particularly those with restrictive eating patterns. Early identification and treatment of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies can prevent permanent complications. Healthcare providers need increased awareness of subtle deficiency symptoms to avoid underdiagnosis in this vulnerable population.

As a review article, this study does not provide original research data or specify the methodology used to identify and evaluate source studies. The sample size is not reported, and the evidence quality of underlying studies is not described.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurobehavioral disorder. Children with ASD often have restrictive diets that can be due to food aversion, sensory sensitivities, ritualistic behavior, or comorbid gastrointestinal issues. Diet and nutritional status play a critical role in the health of neurodevelopment, and the microbiome, and can affect cognition, motor and sensory status, behavior, and sleep. Children with ASD are 5 times more likely to develop eating problems and secondary vitamin and nutritional deficiencies.

Such dietary restriction has been causative of vitamin and nutritional deficiencies that can lead to permanent sequelae if not adequately identified and treated. Symptoms of these deficiencies can be subtle and misleading and, thus, underrecognized. This review discusses various symptomatic vitamin and nutrient deficiencies associated with dietary restrictions that can occur in children and adolescents with ASD of which clinicians need to be aware. With treatment, symptoms can be reversible.

Without timely treatment, sequelae can be permanent.