Autism is a disorder that affects communication functions and social interactions. Behavioral disorder makes nutrition intake difficult for autistic children because they are very selective in choosing their foods. This causes low diet variations among the children. Mistakes in handling diets may increase the intensity of behavioral disorders such as difficulty concentrating and emotional disturbances.
Currently, efforts to improve the nutrition among children with autism are limited. There has been little support for providing good diet for them.
“This can be seen from the weight of autistic children which is usually higher than that of other children. Hence, education on the diet for autistic children is very important to give to parents, teachers, and children to reduce the frequency of child behavioral disorders,” said Nadia Yasmine, medical student of Universitas Gadjah Mada, on Tuesday (11/6) at UGM.
Along with fellow students Muklas Rahmanto, Rattyasta Rahumung Mardika, Safira Tasya Amelia, and Rafidah Fawwazia Hidayat, they tried to improve the nutrition awareness of autistic children by setting up a smart class program. The program gives access to the right diet for autistic children.
“We run this program along with Bina Anggita School for autistic children as our partner in Banguntapan, Bantul, Yogyakarta,” she said.
Nadia said the activities run from April and May 2019, including introduction to fruits and vegetables through coloring events, also data collection on the children’s nutrition status.
The UGM team plans to continue the program gradually. Under the supervision of lecturer, dr. Arta Farmawati Ph.D, in June 2019, they will renovate the dining room of the Bina Anggita school and conduct training by sharing nutrition modules to parents, establishing cadres among parents and teachers, and introducing the website on nutrition and educational games.
“We hope the program will impact on the empowerment of facilities and school activities, enhancing nutrition awareness and knowledge, and eventually students can adopt better eating behavior,” said Nadia.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/17976-peduli-gizi-autis-mahasiswa-ugm-bina-kelas-pintar-gizi
