Shaping oral feeding in a gastronomy tube-dependent child in natural settings

A 3-year-old medically fragile girl who refused to eat after prolonged and frequent hospitalizations was started on a feeding program in the home and school settings. She exhibited food aversions and received all nourishment via a gastronomy tube. Preevaluation observations of her feeding behavior revealed that she refused all presented drinks and foods. Treatment was two-fold. First, food acceptance was followed by social praise and access to preferred toy play, and second, food refusal and disruptive behaviors were ignored. Gagging, vomiting, and crying occurred periodically during initial feedings. In addition, there were medical complications during the course of treatment necessitating continuous modifications of the program. Results of a multiple-phase design showed marked increases in the amount of food consumed at home, which then generalized to the school setting.