Association for Behavior Analysis International

Feeding problems in children has become an increasing concern; such problems may include, food selectivity, food refusal, and excessive mealtime durations. The current symposium describes research evaluating treatments designed to address some of these problems that have received little attention in the literature. The first presentation describes a sequential component analysis of various components designed to increase the pace of self-feeding; the second presentation describes a treatment for food selectivity in which a high-probabiity instructional sequence is combined with low-probability demand fading in an effort to increase consumption of novel food; finally, the last presentation reviews the relevance of flavor conditioning research in the understanding of feeding problems in children

Few studies have examined the effects of the high-probability instructional sequence in the treatment of food selectivity, and results of these studies have been mixed (e.g., Dawson et al., 2003; Patel et al., 2007). The present study extended previous research on the high-p instructional sequence by combining this procedure with low-probability demand fading, with two boys with autism (9 and 10 years old) who had a history of food selectivity and engaged in active food refusal behaviors when presented with novel foods. Response requirements were gradually faded from responses the child would tolerate (e.g., touching the food) to the final requirement of chewing and swallowing the food. The antecedent-based intervention was implemented in the absence of escape extinction and was effective in increasing food consumption for both participants. Possible mechanisms responsible for the effectiveness of the intervention are discussed along with directions for future research.

Experimental psychologists have long been interested in the development of flavor preferences. A great deal of research on conditioning food preferences has been conducted using rats as subjects. Results from this line of research have identified several variables that have an effect on the conditioning of flavor preferences that may have implications for the development of food preferences for individuals with feeding difficulties. For example, four methods of developing food preferences have been identified (as cited in Capaldi, 1996); a) mere exposure, b) medicine effect, c) flavor-flavor learning, and d) flavor-nutrient learning, that may be incorporated in the treatment of feeding disorders. What is most interesting is results from research on these methods have produced outcomes that may at times be counter-intuitive to common practices in behavior analysis. While this research has obvious implications for the understanding of feeding problems, it also may contribute to our understanding of developing flavor preferences more generally, a growing concern in our culture. This presentation provides a brief overview of some of the research on flavor conditioning, describes several implications, and suggests areas for further research in behavior analysis.