Autism Nutrition Tracker: An innovative tool to manage nutritional needs of kids on spectrum

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ensuring proper nutrition for children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism poses a challenge to families owing to the kids aversion to food or unhealthy eating habits. The nutritional imbalance worsens their condition and also deprives them of the benefits gained from therapy. However, help is at hand. Thrissur-based National Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (NIPMR) has come up with Autism Nutrition Tracker, a first-of-its-kind scientific tool, to ease the challenges of nutritional management for children with autism. NIPMR has plans to convert Autism Nutrition Tracker, brought out as a 48-page booklet in English and Malayalam, into a mobile app. The Kerala Social Security Mission-funded project has been validated by an expert panel and was presented as a research paper at the Kerala Science Congress 2025. Structured around 11 easy-to-use sections, the tracker mirrors the internationally-recognised Nutrition Care Process developed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, US. The tracker has dedicated sections to record clinical findings, blood reports and growth monitoring. Sections like Elimination Diet Log allow systematic tracking of suspected food intolerance, while Exercise and Sleep Log recognises how lifestyle influences behaviour and nutrition. The Weekly Goals section encourages collaboration between parents and dietitians, setting small, achievable steps while also recording the progress. For a centre like NIPMR, which is relied upon by families from across the country and even abroad, ensuring continuity of care is a real challenge. Once families return home or move to other therapy centres, regular follow-ups become difficult. The tracker help bridge this gap by acting as a comprehensive database, explained C Chandrababu, executive director, NIPMR. With clear records of nutrition goals, recommendations and progress, families can continue the therapy elsewhere without losing valuable clinical history. For dietitians offering tele-consultations, the tracker becomes an indispensable tool, ensuring advice is grounded in systematically recorded data. At its core, Autism Nutrition Tracker is more than a record-keeping tool; it is a bridge between families and professionals, a continuity plan across therapy centres and a confidence booster for parents who often feel lost in the complex world of autism care, said Madhumita Rajendraprasad, head of department of nutrition and dietetics at NIPMR, who developed the tracker. The toll is part of a larger research project on nutrition-related studies that will be carried out on a batch of 200 children with autism. The primary focus of the study is to scientifically establish how nutritional imbalances aggravate conditions of autism and how to prevent them, Madhumita said.