“…Selective diets with poor nutritional content can cause further impairments in behavioral and cognitive functioning, and unhealthy weight gain, which increases the risk for severe health problems (e.g., obesity, Type-2 diabetes, and hypertension; Freedman et al, 1999;Ludwig et al, 1999). In fact, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes among individuals with autism, and the prevalence of hypertension in males with autism is higher than that of typically developing peers, which is alarming given the significant negative health consequences of these diseases (Flygare Wallén et al, 2018;Levy et al, 2019). Children with autism and change-resistant feeding behavior may also engage in inappropriate mealtime behavior (e.g., aggression, crying, pushing food away, self-injury, spitting food out, and vomiting), which may discourage the caregiver from attempting to change the child's diet (Borrero et al, 2016;Borrero et al, 2010;Piazza, Fisher et al, 2003).…”