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A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity
04:23

A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity

Published on: August 21, 2015

An ABAC comparison of two intensive interventions for food refusal

W H Ahearn1, M E Kerwin, P S Eicher

  • 1Children's Seashore House and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA. Bahearn@necc.org

Behavior Modification
|June 29, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Two behavioral interventions for food refusal were effective in increasing food acceptance in children. The order of treatment exposure influenced which intervention parents preferred, but both improved eating behaviors.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Applied Behavior Analysis

Background:

  • Food refusal is a common challenge in pediatric feeding.
  • Effective behavioral interventions are crucial for improving limited food acceptance.
  • Comparing different treatment packages helps identify optimal strategies.

Observation:

  • Two treatment packages, physical guidance and nonremoval of the spoon, were compared using an ABAC/ACAB design.
  • Both treatments included prevention of escape from presented food.
  • Children with limited food acceptance received one treatment, followed by the second after reaching a 75% acceptance threshold.

Findings:

  • Both physical guidance and nonremoval of the spoon effectively increased food acceptance.
  • Initial exposure to either treatment facilitated faster acquisition of food acceptance during the second treatment phase.
  • The order of treatment exposure influenced parental preference, suggesting potential order effects.

Implications:

  • Behavioral interventions are viable for addressing pediatric food refusal.
  • The sequence of treatment delivery may impact treatment effectiveness and parent satisfaction.
  • Further research could explore optimizing treatment order for specific populations.

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