Perfil nutricional de crianças com transtorno do espectro autista e relação entre percepção de sintomas de ansiedade e qualidade de vida de seus cuidadores

Abstract

Autism or Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is, by definition, a behavioral syndrome in which individuals present impaired motor and psychoneurological development observed by deficits in language acquisition and in the child's social interaction. The quality of life of caregivers of children with ASD is greatly impacted by family overload and stress, in addition to the lack of guidance and support from institutions, directly interfering with the family, the relationship between parents and children and social interaction. Regarding nutritional status, it is very common for autistic children to have deficiencies, as most have a monotonous diet due to various factors, such as food selectivity and food neophobia. Therefore, studies suggest that autistic children are two to three times more likely to be obese than the neurotypical population. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between perception of anxiety symptoms and quality of life of caregivers of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder treated at the Integrated Center for Inclusion and Rehabilitation (CIIR), in Belém, and to describe the nutritional profile of these children. . This research work originated two articles, presented in this dissertation. The first article presents a description of the nutritional profile and changes in the eating behavior of 80 children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder assisted at CIIR Belém, and the second verified the relationship between the perception of anxiety symptoms and the quality of life of caregivers/parents of these same 80 children. The data indicate that most children have food selectivity, and indicate high levels of anxiety and low perception of quality of life in caregivers of children who participated in the study. These data suggest that new measures and perspectives should be implemented by health services and by professionals who work with ASD in public and private institutions, with the aim of promoting better health and well-being conditions, not only for individuals with ASD, but also to the individuals who care for these children, but also contribute as a path for future research on this topic.