"I've got to fix this": Mothers' challenges when experiencing feeding difficulty in their autistic children during infancy.

PURPOSE: Mothers of infants often experience heightened stress while establishing feeding habits and routines. When those routines are complicated by feeding challenges later recognized as associated with autism, the emotional and caregiving strain can be substantial. While the challenges faced by mothers of older autistic children with feeding difficulties are well documented, less is known about mothers' experiences of feeding challenges that occurred during their child's first year of life, prior to autism diagnosis.

METHODS

Using a qualitative descriptive design, this study explored mothers' recollections of managing feeding difficulties in infants later diagnosed with autism, to identify areas where additional support may be needed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 mothers of autistic children aged 2-12 years who reported feeding difficulties during the first year of life.

RESULTS

Reflexive thematic analysis generated three themes: Challenges of Feeding, Emotional Toll of Feeding, and Pressure to Feed the Infant. Factors that contributed to mothers' challenges included time, physical contributors, emotional causes, lack of feeding support, the need to feed their infant effectively, and an absence of autism diagnosis at birth.

CONCLUSION

There is a critical need to identify feeding difficulties early and provide mothers with emotional, informational, and practical support to reduce the burden of managing these feeding challenges. Primary care, mental health care, community-based services, and lactation support all play a critical role in supporting mothers and their autistic children who experience feeding difficulty during infancy.