Brief Report: Mealtime Behaviors of Chinese American Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study investigated mealtime behaviors of Chinese-American children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty-one parents of Chinese-American children with ASD participated in this study and the Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI) was used. The top problematic mealtime behaviors reported by parents were prefers “crunchy” food (54.2%); not willing to try new foods (48%); and does not remain seated at the table until the meal is finished (46%). This study found that the majority of the Chinese-American children with ASD seldom or never were aggressive (96%) or disruptive during mealtimes (92.3%). Compared to their white counterparts, Chinese-American children with ASD showed slightly lower scores on problematic mealtime behaviors. These findings may provide significant information to practitioners.