Not enough variety in their diet has been linked to children with autism continuing to experience developmental delays, according to new research.

Dr Michelle Zimmer says that her study demonstrates the link between autistic children’s preference for certain kinds of food and a lack of nutrition after research at Cincinnati’s Children Hospital.

In related work, Zimmer and her team of scientists found that older autistic children were deficient in one omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexanoic, which researchers point to as a nutrient important for cognitive function and good mental health.

The study points to a link between the two, but the team is hesitant to say that supplementation would provide major benefits, although they add that it certainly couldn’t do any harm.

Although autism only affects one out of every 100 children, the importance of food variety is an important one for adults who may not feel that they have time to get a balanced diet.

By ignoring certain food groups, and not making up the diet with nutritional supplements, people who don’t have autism could develop cognitive issues and other avoidable disorders.