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IAN Research IAN Research Reports IAN Research Questions Parental Depression History Questionnaire Intro Basic Family Information Child with ASD Questionnaire Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) Treatment List Questionnaire for Each Treatment Weight and Height Intro Weight and Height Questionnaire Mother Basic Medical History Questionnaire Father Basic Medical History Questionnaire Sibling Without ASD Questionnaire Child with ASD - First Diagnosis Child with ASD - Current Diagnosis Child with ASD - Regression Child with ASD - Fragile X Child with ASD - Seizures Child with ASD - Mental Retardation Child with ASD - Motor Delay Child with ASD - ADHD Diagnosis Child with ASD - Anxiety Child with ASD - Bipolar Disorder Child with ASD - Depression Child with ASD - Attention and Mood Issues by ASD Child with ASD - Type of School Child with an ASD - Previous Research Participant? Mother - Education Mother - Learning Disability Mother - Speech Delay Mother - Speech Therapy Mother - Special Education Mother - ADHD Mother - Anxiety Mother - Bipolar Disorder Mother - Depression Father - Education Father - Learning Disability Father - Speech Delay Father - Speech Therapy Father - Special Education Fathers - ADHD Father - Anxiety Father - Bipolar Disorder Father - Depression Sibling - Speech Delay Sibling - Speech Therapy Sibling - Special Education Sibling - ADHD Sibling - Anxiety Sibling - Bipolar Disorder Sibling - Depression Understanding Research Government Initiatives Autism Spectrum Disorder Research User Guide for IAN Research Participants Research Studies Studies No Longer Recruiting

Weight and Height Questionnaire

Background:

Very little information is available about the growth of children with ASD. Recent studies in Europe have found that boys with autism are more likely to be underweight than their peers.

In contrast, a US study conducted in 2005 reported no concerns about children with ASD being underweight, but instead found that children with ASD are just as likely to be overweight as their peers.

There are many factors that influence a child's weight, including genetics, individual eating habits, family eating habits, family attitudes about weight, and activity level.

Children with an ASD have additional behaviors, therapies, and possibly physiological abnormalities that further influence body size. We are interested in whether these additional factors have a measurable effect on the growth of children with an ASD.

This questionnaire is intended to obtain basic information about the growth of children with ASD and the growth of their siblings. We are collecting data on all children 2 years and older. By collecting information about siblings, we will also be able to make certain comparisons about the growth of children with an ASD compared to those without an ASD. We will also be able to compare weight and height information to other national databases that collect this same information.

In the future, we plan to ask additional questions about nutrition, physical activity, feeding/eating problems, and gastrointestinal problems.

Thank you for providing information about your child. We look forward to sharing our results with you in the near future. As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Weight and Height Questionnaire

The following questions are about your child's current height, weight, appetite, and activity level.

It is important that we have accurate measurements for height and weight that are obtained on the same day.

For children 3 years of age and above, please try to obtain current height and weight measurements at home. If this is not possible, you may use measurements obtained from a health care visit which took place during the last 6 months.

For children under 3 years of age, obtaining measurements at home may be difficult. If you like, you may use measurements from a doctor's visit which took place during the last 6 months.

  1. What is your child's current weight?
    (Please report weight as precisely as possible. Please use decimals to indicate fractions of a point, for example, 45 and 1/2 pounds is reported as 45.5 pounds.)
  2. What is your child's current height?
    (Please report the height as precisely as possible. Please use decimals to indicate fractions of an inch; for example 53 and 1/4 inches is reported as 53.25 inches)
  3. On what date were the measurements for weight and height obtained?
  4. Where were the measurements for weight and height obtained?
  5. In comparison to children of the same age, how would you describe your child's energy/activity level?
  6. In comparison to other children of the same age, how would you describe the amount of food your child eats?
  7. How would you describe the foods your child eats?
  8. Do you currently have concerns about your child's weight?
  9. In the past year, has a health care provider been concerned about your child's weight?
  10. Do you currently have concerns about your child's height?
  11. In the past year, has a health care provider been concerned about your child's height?
  12. Does your child have any medical problems or take any medications that are known to affect weight and/or height?

Results of the Weight and Height Questionnaire

From October 22 - November 21, 2007, families responded to this initial Weight and Height Questionnaire. (It has been temporarily closed, but may be reactivated in the future so that IAN can track children's growth over time.)

To find out what we've learned so far, see IAN Research Report #4.
Kennedy Krieger InstituteAutism Speaks