Association for Behavior Analysis International

Many children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disabilities are also diagnosed with comorbid pediatric feeding disorders. Assessment and treatment approaches using an applied behavior analytic model have been associated with successful outcomes for children who display total food refusal and food selectivity. Nevertheless, ABA approaches are often under-utilized by most front-line clinicians and interventionists. More concerning, however, is that most behavior analysts receive little pre-service training in this area and yet are often called on to address feeding concerns. In this tutorial, this issue will be addressed by covering the following four areas: 1) providing a basic ABA framework to assessment and treatment, 2) identify a scope and sequence for treatment, 3) promoting appropriate, measurable goals to establish success or failure of treatment efforts, and 4) when to refer children to programs that have more time, more resources, or simply have more expertise to address a specific childs feeding concern. Implications for the use of ABA approaches in assessment and treatment in feeding problems in young children will also be discussed to help advance an appropriate scope of practice that is ethically acceptable for the typically practicing BCBA who has little to no formal pre-service training in the area of feeding disorders.

Board certified behavior analysts, licensed psychologists, graduate students.