Room 204 Funkhouser Building Education: • B.Ed., Nutrition, University of Bristol, United Kingdom Awards: • Outstanding Educator, Kentucky Dietetics Association, ADA Region IV, American Association for Family and consumer Sciences Specific Interest in Nutrition: Maternal and Child Nutrition – Complications of pregnancy and Children with neuro-developmental disorders My research area concentrates on maternal and childhood Nutrition. Complications of Pregnancy and the children coming from complicated deliveries lead to critical nutrition issues. The studies focus on assessment of nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women, assessment of nutritional status of children with disabilities particularly those with autism spectrum disorders, Tourettes, and ADHD. Many children with disabilities take psycho-active medications that interfere with typical growth and development and sometimes do not meet the standard for body composition. Obesity in children with disabilities is a particular interest. Autism is a disorder with unknown etiology and cure. It is hypothesized to be multifactoral in nature, with potential development related to genetics, environmental insult, brain structure abnormalities, and nutritional factors. Many children with autism have multiple medical conditions and mental retardation rates are high. Nutritional status is adversely affected when gastrointestinal abnormalities and feeding problems are present. This has unknown consequences for dietary adequacy. Additionally, multiple medications prescribed to address autism behaviors and related medical conditions have nutritional interactions leading to irregularities in satiety and feeding Publications: The data from this study are published or being published in the following areas:
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