Journal Article

Visual feature analysis on selective appetite in individuals with autism spectrum disorders

Nishikawa, Natsuki, Fujii, Shunsuke, Terada, Kazunori, Taki, Yukiya, Kato, Kunihito, Imaizumi, Taku, Ueda, Kazuhiro, Li, Lu, Komori, Masashi, Kumazaki, Hirokazu, Yoshida, Haruto

2025

Overview

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience more severe selective eating problems than their neurotypical peers. Identifying the causes of selective eating behavior poses a considerable challenge, even for caregivers. Accurate identification of the underlying causes of this behavior is essential for developing interventions aimed at overcoming dysfunctional, unbalanced diets. However, studies that meticulously identify the causes of selective eating behaviors are scarce. This investigation aims to explore the differences in preferences for sunny-side-up eggs between individuals with ASD and those with typical development (TD), focusing on the factors influencing their likes and dislikes through a systematic analysis of visual features. Thirty-nine individuals with ASD (mean age, 23.4 ± 4.7 years; 82% men) and fifty individuals with TD (mean age, 22.2 ± 1.3 years; 64% men) participated in this study. We used a total of 50 images of sunny-side-up eggs as visual stimuli. Using Non-negative Matrix Factorization and Decision Tree analysis, factors associated with visual preferences for sunny-side-up eggs were identified. We could identify factors associated with visual preferences for sunny-side-up eggs. Subsequent linear regression analysis provided insight into how these visual features delineate preference boundaries between liked and disliked foods, with noteworthy distinctions emerging between the ASD and TD groups. This study provides novel insights into the visual determinants of food preferences in individuals with ASD through systematic analysis of image features. Our findings indicated the potential to predict preferences while elucidating the causes of selective eating behaviors, thereby offering solutions for individuals with ASD.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adult / Appetite - physiology / Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder - physiopathology / Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology / Caregivers / Communication / Decision trees / Demographic aspects / Development and progression / Diagnosis / Disorders / Eating / Eating behavior / Eggs / Experiments / Feeding Behavior / Female / Food / Food habits / Food preferences / Food Preferences - psychology / Forecasts and trends / Guardians / Humans / Image processing / Informed consent / Language disorders / Male / Pervasive developmental disorders / Photic Stimulation / Psychiatrists / Questionnaires / Regression analysis / Sensory perception / Statistical analysis / Visual aspects / Visual preferences / Visual stimuli / Young Adult