Optimizing the diet of children with disabilities

Abstract

Principles of nutrition for disabled children are very important. Russia’s specialized institutions and boarding schools for children with disabilities were monitored and proved to have no specific diet adapted for children with special needs (mental delay, emotional-volitional defects — autistic disorders). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unbalanced diets along with lifestyle habits are the main risk factors for chronic diseases which can develop and accelerate disorders in intellectual and cognitive abilities. The study analyzed reference data in order to identify and summarize patterns in diets designed for children with special medical care needs. The review assessed works of foreign and domestic authors, as well as data obtained with SRC ‘Arktika,’ on nutrition status of children with disabilities under the north conditions. By meta-analysis, the authors made recommendations for optimizing the diet for children with disabilities.