Date of Graduation

8-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Food Science (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Food Science

Advisor/Mentor

Seo, Han-Seok

Committee Member

Hettiarachchy, Navam S.

Second Committee Member

Kucharczyk, Suzanne

Third Committee Member

Luu, Khoa

Keywords

Audition; Autism; Environment; Food; Sensory; Sound

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often encounter challenges in processing sensory inputs. Children with ASD may experience feeding difficulties and over- or under- stimulation during food-related activities such as eating or shopping. These have impacts on the health and well-being of individuals with ASD in childhood and throughout their lives. Further research is needed to address the impact of ambient sound levels in a retail or restaurant setting. The main objective of this thesis was to address these gaps by identifying responses to various environmental and food related stimuli. The findings of this research addressed differences in responses between children with ASD and neurotypical children in comfortable and uncomfortable eating and shopping environments. Study 1 (Chapter 3) determined responses to environmental conditions and food stimuli in both auditory comfort and discomfort conditions within a restaurant setting. Thirty children aged 7 to 14 years old [15 autistic and 15 neurotypical (NT)], were recruited to participate in this study. It was found that children in the ASD group rated their liking significantly lower for the cocoa solution in the comfort condition compared with the NT group. Children in the ASD group also found the cocoa solution to be significantly more intense than the NT group in the discomfort condition. Differences were also seen between the groups in the use of emojis to express their feelings regarding the different samples and conditions. Study 2 (Chapter 4) extended its examination of sensory responses and shopping choices to stimuli in both comfort and discomfort conditions within a grocery store environment. Thirty-two children aged 7 to 16 (16 ASD and 16 NT) were recruited for this study to respond to the previously mentioned stimuli regarding, liking, emotional responses, and various selection tasks. In these conditions, it was found that children in the ASD group liked shopping significantly more than the NT group in the comfort condition. Minimal differences were also seen in the items selected within the NT and ASD groups between the comfort and discomfort conditions. In both studies, the NT and ASD children in both groups were affected by ambient sound levels, experiencing greater comfort at lower sound levels. The findings from this thesis confirmed that environmental factors and stimuli, particularly background sound, can influence the sensory responses of children with ASD. This research offers valuable insights that can inform businesses on developing informed interventions and implementing changes to create sensory-friendly environments.

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