Zhou YW, Zhang R, Yu HF, Ni P, Wu Y, Yan LQ. Early psychological intervention model based on sensory integration and parental empowerment for dietary abnormalities in children with autism. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(9): 122834 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.122834]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ye-Wen Zhou, Doctorate Student, Department of Pediatric, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 1055 Sanxiang Road, Gusu District, Suzhou 215000, Jiangsu Province, China. wenzyw11223@163.com
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Psychiatry
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research-article
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Zhou YW, Zhang R, Yu HF, Ni P, Wu Y, Yan LQ. Early psychological intervention model based on sensory integration and parental empowerment for dietary abnormalities in children with autism. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(9): 122834 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.122834]
World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2026; 16(9): 122834 Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.122834
Early psychological intervention model based on sensory integration and parental empowerment for dietary abnormalities in children with autism
Ye-Wen Zhou, Rong Zhang, Hai-Fei Yu, Ping Ni, Yan Wu, Li-Qin Yan
Ye-Wen Zhou, Rong Zhang, Hai-Fei Yu, Ping Ni, Li-Qin Yan, Department of Pediatric, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, Jiangsu Province, China
Yan Wu, Department of Psychiatry, Wujiang District Mental Rehabilitation Hospital, Suzhou 215000, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-first authors: Ye-Wen Zhou and Rong Zhang.
Author contributions: Zhou YW and Zhang R contributed equally to this work as co-first authors; Zhou YW designed the study, performed data analysis and served as the correspondence author; Yu HF and Ni P collected clinical data; Wu Y and Yan LQ sorted literature and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version.
AI contribution statement: The authors declare that no AI tools were used in the development or writing of this manuscript and take full responsibility for its integrity, accuracy, and originality.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 250156.
Clinical trial registration statement: Based on the characteristics of the research design and the scope of clinical activities involved, the study was not registered with the Clinical Trial Registry prior to its initiation.
Informed consent statement: All patients signed informed consent forms before the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Data sharing statement: No other data provided.
Corresponding author: Ye-Wen Zhou, Doctorate Student, Department of Pediatric, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 1055 Sanxiang Road, Gusu District, Suzhou 215000, Jiangsu Province, China. wenzyw11223@163.com
Received: June 10, 2026 Revised: July 6, 2026 Accepted: July 15, 2026 Published online: September 19, 2026 Processing time: 74 Days and 21 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Autistic children commonly have dietary abnormalities, lacking efficient standardized early intervention.
AIM
To explore the effect of an early psychological intervention on abnormal eating behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
METHODS
Children (n = 150) with abnormal eating behaviors linked to ASD who were admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between January 2022 and December 2024 were randomly divided into two groups (control and intervention; n = 75/group). A total of 142 patients (intervention, 72; control, 70) were followed up. The control group received a conventional rehabilitation intervention, while the intervention group received an early psychological intervention combining sensory integration and parental empowerment. The Child Eating Behavior Scale, Autism Behavior Scale, Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, Sensory Integration Development Scale, and Parental Care Ability Scale were used for assessment before the intervention (T0), at 6 months of intervention (T1), and at 12 months of follow-up (T2). The rates of reaching the standard of nutritional intake and regular diet, ability to eat autonomously, compliance with intervention, effective rate of intervention, and recurrence rate in the groups were compared. The bootstrap method was used to analyze the chain mediating effect of improvement in parental care ability and sensory integration function.
RESULTS
At T1 and T2, the Child Eating Behavior Scale, Autism Behavior Scale, and Child Anxiety and Depression Scale scores of the children in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The Sensory Integration Development Scale and Parental Care Ability Scale scores were significantly higher than in the control group. The rates of reaching the nutritional intake standard and regular diet, ability to eat autonomously, total effective rate of intervention, and compliance rate of children in the intervention group were significantly higher. The recurrence rate was also significantly lower in the intervention group. Mediating effect analysis showed that the improvement of parental care ability and sensory integration function played a partial chain mediating role in the joint intervention promoting the improvement of children’s dietary behavior.
CONCLUSION
Early psychological interventions based on sensory integration and parental empowerment can effectively improve abnormal eating behaviors in children with ASD, with good clinical value.
Core Tip: Early psychological interventions that combine sensory integration and parental empowerment effectively improve dietary abnormalities in children with autism spectrum disorder. This mechanism is mediated by enhanced parental care abilities and improved sensory integration in children. This study aims to explore the effect of an early psychological intervention on abnormal eating behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder.
