Clinical Trial of "Exploradores de Sabores" to Improve Food Selectivity in ASD Kids

Dietary variety will be assessed using the Food Variety Questionnaire developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The questionnaire records foods consumed from predefined food groups over a specified reference period. A dietary variety score is calculated based on the number of different food groups consumed, Scores range from 0 to 16, corresponding to the number of food groups consumed. Higher scores indicate greater dietary variety and a better dietary outcome.The questionnaire will be completed by the child's primary caregiver.

Nutritional status will be assessed using the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP). STAMP evaluates nutritional risk based on the child's clinical diagnosis, recent nutritional intake, weight and height measurements, and anthropometric indicators. Scores range from 0 to 9. A score of 0-1 indicates low nutritional risk, 2-3 indicates medium risk, and ≥4 indicates high nutritional risk. Higher scores indicate a greater risk of malnutrition and therefore a worse outcome. Higher scores indicate a greater risk of malnutrition.

Food neophobia will be assessed using the Food Neophobia Test Tool, a validated caregiver-reported questionnaire that measures children's reluctance to try unfamiliar foods. The instrument uses a 7 Likert-type scale ranging from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree," The total score ranges from 10 to 70, obtained by summing the responses to the 10 items after reverse-scoring the appropriate items. Higher scores indicate greater food neophobia and therefore a worse outcome.

Food selectivity will be assessed using the Autism Eating Assessment Tool (AUT-EAT). The caregiver-reported questionnaire evaluates eating difficulties across multiple domains, including food selectivity, sensory sensitivity, mealtime behaviors, eating habits, and the impact of feeding difficulties on daily functioning.

The questionnaire consists of 41 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale , The questionnaire comprises six factors: food Uniformity and Rituals: 12 items, overeating: 7 items, chewing and swallowing problems: 7 items, food selectivity: 7 items, problematic mealtime behaviors: 4 items and food avoidance: 3 items

Parents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (never) to 5 (very frequently).with total scores ranging from 41 to 205. Higher scores indicate greater eating difficulties and more severe feeding-related problems; therefore, higher scores represent a worse outcome.

Gastrointestinal health will be assessed using the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), a validated 7-point visual scale that classifies stool consistency from Type 1 (hard stools) to Type 7 (watery stools). The BSFS is used to evaluate bowel habits and gastrointestinal function, with changes in stool consistency indicating improvements or alterations in gastrointestinal health.

Caregiver satisfaction with the intervention will be assessed using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8), an 8-item validated questionnaire that measures participants satisfaction with the services received. Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale. The total score ranges from 8 to 32, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction with the intervention and therefore a better outcome..