Impact of Nutrition Education through Innovative Story Telling in Pre-School Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Aim: To assess the impact of Nutrition education through innovative story telling in fruits consumption among the pre-school children with autism spectrum disorder.

Sample: Ninety children with autism spectrum disorder were selected from Preschools and BUDS schools of Thiruvananthapuram district.

Study Design: To assess fruit consumption of pre-school children (3-6 years) with autism spectrum disorder, ninety children with autism spectrum disorder was selected from urban and rural areas of Trivandrum district, Kerala. Out of ninety, forty-five children with ASD were randomly selected as experiment group and forty-five children as control group. The experimental group received the nutrition education through story telling using story books.

Place of study: Urban and rural areas of Trivandrum district were randomly selected for study.

Methodology: Frequency of fruits consumption of 90 children (45 as control and 45 as experimental group) were collected using food frequency questionnaire in pre and post phase. After the nutrition education, pre and post scores of both groups were compared to find the deviation among the population.

Results: Majority of the children with autism spectrum disorder shows significant changes in post Nutrition education. Frequency of fruits consumption increased after the Nutrition education in the experimental group compared to control group.

Conclusion: Early childhood is a period of rapid growth and is an important phase for developing eating habits because the dietary behaviours acquired during the early years of life can extend to adulthood. Fruits are rich in fibre, nutrients, and vitamins. It's important to encourage children to consume a range of fruits and veggies. It protects against illness and promotes health both now and in the future.