Neuropsychological profiles of children with selective eating
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Neuropsychological profiles of children with selective eating difficulties – do these vary in those children with elevated autistic traits?
IRAS ID
121213
Contact name
Charlotte Mawbey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway University of London
Research summary
Selective eating (SE) difficulties are commonly seen in typically developing children (Nicholls, Randall, Christi & Lask, 2013), however these can have a significant impact on a child’s functioning if these persist. There is also a high prevalence of SE difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Schrek, Williams & Smith, 2006) however more recently these difficulties have been found to be highly prevalent in non-ASD populations that display elevated autistic traits of clinical significance (Pooni et al., 2012). This pilot study aims to explore the neuropsychological profiles of children and adolescents with SE and to establish whether participants with elevated autistic traits differ in terms of the neuropsychological profile that emerges. To achieve this, a case series design will be utilized in which eight to ten children with SE difficulties identified by the Feeding and Eating Disorders Service will be recruited. Children between eight and sixteen years old who are not tube dependent for feeding and who have English as a first language and a good level of communication ability will be eligible for inclusion. Testing will take place in clinic at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and will last a maximum of two and a half hours including breaks. A test battery assessing neuropsychological functioning, theory of mind and sensory sensitivity will be administered. The Child Autism Spectrum Test, will be used to measure level of autistic traits across all individuals. A profile of performance across the battery will be generated to explore whether a uniform profile exists for children with SE difficulties. Further to this, the profiles of those with elevated autistic traits will be explored to find how these vary.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0689
Date of REC Opinion
23 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion