A multi-component treatment to reduce packing in children with feeding and autism spectrum disorders

Area of Science:

• Pediatric feeding disorders
• Autism Spectrum Disorder interventions
• Behavioral therapy

Background:

• Feeding disorders are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often accompanied by food packing.
• Existing treatments for food packing in the general pediatric population suggest combination approaches are necessary.
• Few studies have specifically evaluated treatments for feeding disorders, including packing, in children with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of combined behavioral interventions for reducing food packing in children with ASD.
• To adapt and apply existing packing reduction strategies (re-distribution, swallow facilitation, chaser) to children with ASD.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nonremoval procedures to establish initial acceptance of pureed foods and liquids.
• Introduced combined treatments of re-distribution, swallow facilitation, and a chaser to address emergent food packing.
• Applied these interventions to two children diagnosed with ASD and feeding problems.

Main Results:

• The combination of re-distribution, swallow facilitation, and chaser treatments successfully decreased food packing in both participants.
• Initial nonremoval procedures were effective for acceptance but led to packing, necessitating the combined approach.

Conclusions:

• Combined behavioral interventions, including re-distribution, swallow facilitation, and chaser, are effective in reducing food packing in children with ASD.
• These findings support the adaptation of existing pediatric feeding disorder treatments for the ASD population.
• Addressing food packing is critical for improving mealtime behaviors and nutritional intake in children with ASD.