A Study on Comparison of Anthropometrics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Children with Normal Children

Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have various eating abnormalities which results in malnutrition. * Aim: To study the growth and development of the ASD children with respect to their anthropometric measurements of age group 2 to 6 years. Methods: Anthropometric methods was used in the study with three basic variables (height, weight and head circumference) and a single variable (Body Mass Index / BMI) was utilized. All the anthropometrics were taken following standard techniques. Results: The incidence of stunting, underweight and wasting was higher in ASD children. The mean standard deviation was calculated for both the groups. The mean standard deviation for height, weight and head circumference of ASD children were 101.73±9.4, 16.05± 3.25 and 49.93± 2.4. The prevalence of malnutrition was significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The present study shows deviation in the anthropometric measurement in ASD children when compared to normal healthy children of same age group.