Increasing self-drinking for children with feeding disorders.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric feeding disorders
• Behavioral interventions
• Child psychology

Background:

• Children with feeding disorders frequently require interventions to achieve self-drinking skills.
• Existing literature on promoting self-drinking behaviors is limited.
• Understanding effective strategies for pediatric feeding is crucial for development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of differential positive reinforcement in increasing self-drinking in children with feeding disorders.
• To explore the impact of tangible reinforcement on self-drinking acquisition.
• To assess if the intervention is effective without the non-removal of the cup procedure.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 2 children diagnosed with feeding disorders.
• Differential positive reinforcement, utilizing tangible items, was implemented as the primary intervention.
• Self-drinking was the target behavior measured.
• The procedure was assessed in the absence of the non-removal of the cup.

Main Results:

• Differential positive reinforcement with tangible items led to an increase in self-drinking for both participating children.
• The intervention was effective in promoting the target behavior.
• The positive effects were observed even when the cup was not removed.

Conclusions:

• Differential positive reinforcement is a viable and effective strategy for increasing self-drinking in children with feeding disorders.
• Tangible reinforcement can be a powerful motivator for developing essential feeding skills.
• The findings suggest that this intervention can be implemented without complex procedural modifications like non-removal of the cup.