Exploradores de Sabores: a parent-led program to help kids with autism try new foods

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This randomized, single-blind trial tests a 15-week parent-mediated nutrition intervention called Exploradores de Sabores against Education as Usual. The program blends nutrition education, behavioral feeding strategies, sensory-based approaches, and structured food exposure that caregivers implement at home. Outcomes focus on food selectivity, dietary variety, mealtime behaviors, nutritional status, and gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder. Enrollment targets children aged 4 to 11 with ASD and notable food selectivity, and requires primary caregivers willing to participate. The study is conducted at a single site in Tijuana, Mexico, led by Universidad Autonoma de Baja California.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) requiring support levels 1, 2, or 3, without cognitive impairment.
* Primary caregivers with sufficient availability to participate in and implement the intervention.
* Children with or without mild functional gastrointestinal symptoms.
* Children experiencing difficulties with the introduction or acceptance of new foods.
* Children with clinically significant food selectivity, as determined by AUT-EAT
* Children with malnutrition.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Current use of medications known to substantially affect appetite or feeding behavior (e.g., cyproheptadine, clonidine, or other appetite-modifying medications).
* Syndromic Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
* Clinically significant gastrointestinal disorders requiring active medical treatment.
* Medical conditions that significantly affect nutritional status, growth, or feeding behavior (e.g., phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, endocrine disorders, or eating disorders).
* Cases in which the parent or legal guardian attending the training sessions is not the individual responsible for implementing the intervention activities with the child at home.

Where it's running

• Facultad de Medicina y Psicología, UABC
  Tijuana, Estado de Baja California, Mexico Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Connie Johame López Verdugo, PHD. Candidate
• Email: lopez.connie@uabc.edu.mx
• Phone: +526642588810

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.