THE GOOD NUTRITION GAME: Extending the Good Behavior Game to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Consumption of diverse and nutritious food is challenging for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

We created the Good Nutrition Game and implemented the intervention among students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at a therapeutic after-school socialization program.

We divided students into two teams in each session. The team earned one point per bite of fruit or vegetables by a teammate. The winning team congratulated each other for winning and was given the privilege to choose a small prize item as reinforcement.

The approach showed promising findings to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a classroom setting. While the approach needs to be implemented with more students in a longer term trial, other challenges include objectively measuring the number of bites instead of self-report by team members and addressing different eating habits among students.