Obesity rates in special populations of children and potential interventions

Childhood obesity has become a problem of epidemic proportions in the United States, but much of the research has focused on prevention and intervention programs, which target the general population of school children. Overlooked in the literature are children with special needs (including autism, genetic disorders, Down syndrome, and Prader‐Willi syndrome), who on average have higher rates of obesity than do their typically functioning peers. Specifically, some clinical populations of children have genetic predispositions that make intervention more difficult to accomplish. General intervention considerations are discussed and applied to these groups of children.